Risk Factors For Hepatitis Infection Research Articles

Hepatitis B, C, and D Virus Infection among Population Aged 10-64 Years in Mongolia: Baseline Survey Data of a Nationwide Cancer Cohort Study.

Hepatitis B, C, and D virus infections are a major public health problem, and Mongolia has one of the highest prevalences of dual and triple infections in the world. We aimed to determine the seroprevalence of hepatitis infection and dual or triple hepatitis infections among 10-64-year-olds. A questionnaire was used to identify risk factors for hepatitis infection, and seromarkers were measured by the fully automated immunologic analyzer HISCL-5000. Among a total of 10,040 participants, 8.1% of the population aged 10-64 was infected with HBV, 9.4% with HCV, and 0.4% with HBV and HCV, and the prevalence of the disease varied by age, sex, and the area of residence. Young people were particularly unaware of their hepatitis infection status. A small proportion of children aged 10 to 19 years and the majority of adults younger than 30 years were unaware of their HBV and HCV infection. Men were also more likely to be unaware of their HBV and HCV infection status than women. The results suggested that the prevalence of infection in the general population is high and that most people are unaware that they are infected or have become chronic carriers. Identifying mono-, co-, or triple-infection status is critical to prevent the rapid progression of liver disease among the Mongolian population.

Seroprevalence of hepatitis B and hepatitis C among blood donors in Sierra Leone: A multi-year retrospective study

ObjectivesIn Sierra Leone, very little data are available on hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) prevalence. Blood donor screening permits estimation of the prevalence of transfusion transmissible infections in a general open population. We analyzed blood donor data in Sierra Leone to estimate national viral hepatitis prevalence and identify risk factors for hepatitis infection among the donor population. MethodsWe conducted a retrospective data analysis in five government hospitals. We collected HBV and HCV screening results, donor demographics, and donation type (family replacement or voluntary donor; first-time or repeat). Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to determine associations between infections and socio-demographic factors. ResultsThe number of donors screened was 29,713. The overall prevalence was: 10.8% (3200) for HBV and 1.2% (357) for HCV. HBV infection was most strongly associated with male sex (p: <0.0001) and younger age (p: <0.0004 for the 22–27 age group). Both HBV and HCV infection were higher in certain locations. ConclusionOur findings stress the presence of viral hepatitis infection throughout the country and the need to invest in safe blood services, vaccination and treatment of viral hepatitis at the national level.

Clinical and epidemiological characteristics of hepatic cirrhosis of hepatitis C virus etiology in the early stages of its formation

Background. Currently, the incidence of viral cirrhosis of the liver increases significantly, presenting an essential medical and social problem. This study aimed to clarify the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of hepatic cirrhosis of hepatitis C virus (HCV) etiology in the early stages of formation to improve the quality of diagnosis using a sample of patients from the regional hepatological center in Krasnodar (Specialized Clinical Infectious Diseases Hospital).&#x0D; Methods. In 2018, 1,307 patients with liver diseases of viral etiology were examined and treated at the hepatological center. A retrospective analysis of the monitoring results of 153 patients with hepatic cirrhosis of viral C etiology with HCV replication was performed; patients with mixed etiology of cirrhosis were excluded from the study. The enrolled participants included 89 women (58.2%) and 64 men (41.8%). The average age of the patients was 53.5 0.93 years. In accordance with the ChildPugh classification of hepatic cirrhosis, class A (I) was diagnosed in 92 (60.1%) patients, and class B (II) was revealed in 53 (34.6%) patients.&#x0D; Results. In 59.5% of cases, viral liver damage was first detected at the stage of outcome to cirrhosis. In 1/3 (32.5%) of the patients, the diagnosis of hepatic cirrhosis was established in the year of visit, and in another 27%, it was established during the first three years from the date of detection of hepatitis C markers. In less than in 1/5 (18.3%) of the patients, 924 years have passed from the discovery of hepatitis C markers to the establishment of hepatic cirrhosis. During the three-year follow-up period, the progression of cirrhosis with the transition to the next stage occurred in 6.5% of cases. In residents of Krasnodar Territory, among the leading epidemiological factors, including a monofactor epidemiological history and multifactorial nature with almost the same frequency, the alleged cause of infection was surgery (43%45%). Prosthetics, dental sanitation, and blood transfusion were indicated as possible infection factors with high incidence. Factors, such as drug addiction, childbirth, tattoos, occupational injuries in medical personnel, and abortions, were recorded in isolated cases. In the early diagnostics of compensated class A cirrhosis, the increased contents of alanine and aspartate aminotransferases showed diagnostic value. Mild increases in the levels of alpha-fetoprotein and direct bilirubin, moderate decreases in prothrombin index and platelets, dilation in the diameter of the portal (v. portae) and splenic (v. lienalis) veins to borderline values with an upper limit of norm with an increased size of the spleen, and esophageal varices, and development of the initial stage of hepatic encephalopathy were also noted. The presence of extrahepatic manifestations in 12% of the patients should be considered.&#x0D; Conclusion. Despite the high infection rate of the population with hepatitis C virus, late diagnostics of liver damage often occurred, and this finding is partly due to the late action of patients in seeking medical help. On the other hand, the widespread introduction of mandatory medical examination led to the active identification of sick people. For timely diagnosis, the presence of a history of risk factors for hepatitis infection must be considered, and attention must be focused on the abnormalities of blood biochemical parameters, ultrasound, and fibrogastroduodenoscopy data.

HBV and HCV test uptake and correlates among men who have sex with men in China: a nationwide cross-sectional online survey

ObjectivesHepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) cause substantial morbidity and mortality in low-income and middle-income countries, including China. WHO guidelines recommend men who have sex with men...

Screening for viral hepatitis prior to rituximab chemotherapy.

In 2008, the CDC published guidelines recommending screening of all persons undergoing treatment with rituximab to identify persons at risk of hepatitis B virus (HBV) reactivation. We evaluated implementation of this recommendation in veterans, who are at increased risk of HBV, and determined characteristics of those screened. We also evaluated a control setting, rates of hepatitis C virus (HCV) screening among the same rituximab-treated patients. There are no guidelines that recommend HCV screening prior to initiation of rituximab. Medical records of patients receiving rituximab between January 2006 and December 2012 were reviewed according to two time periods: 2006-2008 (period 1, pre-guidelines) and 2009-2012 (period 2, post-guidelines). Patient demographics, concomitant chemotherapy regimen (protocol, dose, duration), treatment indication, risk factors for hepatitis infection (substance abuse, homelessness, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)), and HBV/HCV screening status were documented. During the study period, 102 patients were treated with rituximab (49 in period 1 and 53 in period 2). During periods 1 and 2, 22 and 32% of rituximab-treated patients were screened for HBV, respectively (p = 0.375). Treatment during 2009was the only significant predictor of HBV screening in the adjusted model (p = 0.01). For HCV during periods 1 and 2, 22 and 21% of patients were screened, respectively (p = 1.00). There were no significant predictors of HCV screening. Rates of screening for HBV among rituximab-treated patients were low, both before and after dissemination of guidelines recommending universal HBV screening of rituximab-treated patients.

Geographical prevalence, risk factors and impact of hepatitis B and C after renal transplantation

Hepatitis B (HBV) and hepatitis C (HCV) virus infections are major risk factors affecting long-term morbidity and mortality after renal transplantation. Hepatitis prevalence is subject to geographical variations. To compare and analyze the geographical prevalence, risk factors and impact of HBV and HCV infection in multinational cohorts of renal transplant recipients. From 1989 - 2002, data on 12,856 kidney transplant recipients in 37 countries were collected within the prospective MOST (Multinational Observational Study in Transplantation). Subgroup analyses of hepatitis-related prevalence, risk factors and impact were conducted on patients whose HBV and HCV status was available at time of transplantation. Countries were substratified according to population prevalence of > or = 5% HBV or > or = 10% HCV. The prevalence of HBV was 2.9%, of HCV 8.7% and of HBV together with HCV 0.4%. Risk factors for hepatitis infection in renal transplant recipients were long dialysis time, retransplantation and blood transfusions. At each study endpoint up to 5 years after transplantation, no significant differences in graft function were observed, although the 1-year acute rejection rate tended to be lower in HCV+ patients. At 5 years post-transplant, there were no differences between the subgroups and regions regarding infections, post-transplant diabetes mellitus or malignancies including PTLD. Overall, HCV infections are more prevalent than HBV. Despite large geographical differences in prevalence, HBV and HCV status did not appear to have a significant impact on renal graft function, infections, malignancies and post-transplant diabetes mellitus up to 5 years after renal transplantation throughout the MOST countries.

Hepatitis virus infection in haemodialysis patients from Moldavia.

Although the epidemiology of hepatitis B (HBV) and C (HCV) now seems well established for Western European countries, in Central and Eastern Europe < 50% of all dialysis centres routinely test for hepatitis C antibodies since testing is not available or is not applied to all patients. This study describes the prevalence, risk factors and clinical significance of HBV and HCV infection for the haemodialysis population of the North Eastern region of Romania, Moldavia. The presence of HBV antigens was determined with an ELISA kit (Wellcome, Abbot) and HCV antibodies with the ELISA-3 Ortho-HCV, third generation test. The following individual data were collected: gender, age, duration of dialysis, rural/urban domicile, actual and previous HBV status, actual HCV status, known acute, clinically evident hepatitis episodes in the last 3 years, monthly alanine aminotransferase (ALAT) and aspartate aminotransferase (ASAT) levels, complete biochemical hepatic assessment at the time of the study, transfusions for the past 3 years and family history. HBV and HCV prevalences were 17% (stable over the last 3 years) and 75%, respectively; co-infection was seen in 10% of the subjects. Hospitalization (nosocomial infection) for HBV, blood transfusions and duration on dialysis for HCV, emerged as the main risk factors for hepatitis infection. Socio-economic conditions appear to be equally important for HCV infection, since the prevalence was significantly higher among patients from rural, underdeveloped areas than urban areas (80.8 vs 60.3%), and infection was already present in a large proportion of patients (47%) before starting dialysis, without being related to previous disease duration or blood transfusions. HBV and/or HCV was not associated with a worse clinical or biochemical profile at the time of the study. However, infected patients had significantly more previous cytolytic episodes, with higher, transient increases in ALAT and ASAT levels. HCV infection is endemic among dialysis centres in Moldavia. Apart from previously well-known risk factors for hepatitis infection, our study demonstrates the negative impact of socio-economic underdevelopment. Simple measures such as enforced general asepsia rules, careful disinfection and equipment sterilization, routine testing of patients from economically disadvantaged areas and monthly, serial determination of hepatic enzymes should be the common practice in dialysis centres in Romania.