Investigation of the Seroprevalence of Viral Hepatitis and Syphilis Coinfection in HIV Positive Cases

Introduction: The importance of sexually transmitted infections such as viral hepatitis and syphilis has increased relatively with prolonged life expectancy in HIV-positive cases. The aim of this study was to investigate the seroprevalence of viral hepatitis and syphilis coinfection in HIV-positive cases followed in our clinic. Materials and Methods: This retrospective, cross-sectional, single center study included 98 HIV-infected cases who were followed up in our clinic between January 2018 and November 2019. Demographics, physical examination findings, CD4 T lymphocyte count, HCV RNA, HBsAg, anti-HBcIgG, anti-HBs, anti-HCV, anti-HAVIgG, RPR and TPHA test results were obtained retrospectively from the patients' files. Results: Median age of the patients was 33.5 (24-44) years, 73 (74.5%) were males, 13 (13.3%) were foreign nationals, 69 (70.4%) were treatment naive, 20 (20.4%) were male sex with male (MSM) and 5 (5.1%) had a history of intravenous drug addiction. The most common transmission route was heterosexual intercourse, and median CD4 T lymphocyte count was 249.5 cells/mm3 (145-358). Overall, 15 (15.3%) of the cases had at least one co-infection. The most common co-infections were HIV/syphilis and HIV/HBV coinfections (13.3% (n= 13) and 4.0% (n= 4), respectively). Only one case had HIV/HBV/syphilis coinfection while HIV/HCV coinfection was not found in this population. The rate of effective HBV vaccination was 26.5%, previous HBV infection was 14.3% and the prevalence of isolated anti-HBc was 3.9%. Cases coinfected with viral hepatitis or syphilis were older than those infected with HIV alone, but there were no significant differences between the groups in terms of sex, antiretroviral therapy (ART) experience, and CD4 T lymphocyte count (p= 0.013, p= 0.106, p=0.542 and p=0.421, respectively. TPHA and anti-HAV IgG seropositivity were significantly higher in MSM cases than in non-MSM cases (p< 0.001 and p= 0.035, respectively). Conclusion: Seroprevalence of HBV, HCV and HAV in HIV-positive cases followed in our clinic were similar to those in the general population. On the other hand, HIV-infected MSM patients had higher anti-HAV IgG and TPHA seropositivity than non-MSM cases.