Prevalence of Co-infection of Hepatitis B and C with HIV in HIV-Positive Adolescents in Anambra State, South-East Nigeria

Abstract

Purpose: HIV accelerates the progression of HBV-related liver disease which may be as a result of the effect of HAART on the liver. This study evaluated the frequency of hepatitis B and C co-infection, and the viral load suppression rate among children and adolescents receiving ART in six HIV program centers in Anambra State, Nigeria. Methods: A multi-facility cross-sectional study was conducted among HIV-infected children and adolescents currently receiving antiretroviral treatment (ART) in six selected HIV/AIDS program healthcare facilities in Anambra State between March 2018 and February 2020. The HBsAg and HCV antibody screening were done using LabACON (HangzhouBiotest Biotech C0, China). The HIV viral load of the patients was determined according to the national HIV program algorithm using the RocheCOBASAmpliPrep COBAS TaqMan (CAP/CTM) HIV-1 test, version 2.0. All the patients Data were analyzed using SPSS version 23 and test of significance set at p-value of 0.05. Results: Of the 308 children and adolescent HIV positive cohorts tested for hepatitis B and C, 156/308 (50.6%) were males. Fourteen of the 308 (4.5%) tested positive for HBV while 34/308 (11.0%) tested positive for HCV. The male participants were frequently infected with HBV 10/156 (6.4) than their female counterparts 4/152(2. 6%). Among the children and adolescents, 3/94 (3.2%) and 11/214 (5.1%) were positive for HBV respectively, while the HCV antibody was present in 9/94 (9.6%) of children and 25/214 (11.7%) of adolescents (p = 0.24 and p = 0.72). Conclusions: The estimated prevalence of HIV/HBV and HIV/HCV dual infections in this cohort of Anambra HIV-infected children and adolescents on ART was 15.5%. Keywords: Seroprevalence, HBV, HCV, HIV, Children, Adolescents, ART, Anambra State