Abstract
IntroductionSeveral studies have shown that older people have a higher risk of exposure to viral hepatitis B and C than younger people. This study aimed to determine the seroprevalence of hepatitis B and C and their associated factors in people aged 45+ years old in Burera, a rural district of Rwanda.MethodsA cross sectional study was conducted from July to December 2017 during a mass campaign of hepatitis B (HBV) and hepatitis C (HCV) screening and vaccination of eligible populations against HBV in Burera District. Blood samples were collected and hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and an antibody against hepatitis C (Anti-HCV) were detected using an Enzyme-Linked Immuno-Sorbent Assay (ELISA). The associated factors were identified using a structured questionnaire and the data was analyzed using SPSS software.ResultsOf the 374 people included in this study, 53.2% were females. The median age was 56 years old with an interquartile range (IQR) of 50 - 63 years old. The prevalence of HBV and HCV infection was 6.4% and 9.4%, respectively, with 0.3% co-infection rate. Age, social economic level, history of blood transfusion, history of never using a condom, as well as a history of injury with a used sharp material were significantly associated with HCV infection.ConclusionThe study showed a high seroprevalence of both HBV and HCV in Burera’s elderly population aged 45+ years. Several factors associated with HBV and HCV in this study could be prevented through education and improved hygiene.
Highlights
Hepatitis has been described as a common cause of jaundice in the young population, which can develop into a chronic condition [1]
Health care workers (HCW), intravenous drug users (IVDU), patients on hemodialysis, blood product users and people located in high prevalence regions have a higher rate of exposure to both viruses [8]
Like other studies conducted with the aim of determining hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections, hepatitis C infection rate is higher in elderly individuals
Summary
Hepatitis has been described as a common cause of jaundice in the young population, which can develop into a chronic condition [1]. The hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) were discovered in the late 20th century as the major causes of hepatitis [2,3]. In their chronic state, apart from being associated with cirrhosis and Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) due to the prolonged immune clearance phase, 3.5% of the world's population (more than 250 million people) are infected with HBV with about one in five people residing in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) [4,5,6,7] suffering from this disease. This study aimed to determine the factors associated with hepatitis B and C among Burera districts rural population aged 45+ years
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