Seroprevalence of hepatitis B and C infection among the HIV-positive population in Abuja, Nigeria

Background: In Nigeria, it is estimated that 3.6% of the population were living with Human immunodeficiency virus in 2009, and the country had the world's second highest number of HIV/AIDS related deaths after South Africa. Viral hepatitis is also a major public health concern as hepatitis B virus (HBV) afflicts an estimated 350 million people, and hepatitis C virus (HCV) affects 150 million people worldwide. Objectives: We conducted a retrospective study of HBV and HCV seroprevalence among Nigerian population coming to our clinic in Abuja and receiving HIV/AIDS treatment. Methods: In this cohort study, we collected medical data from 443 HIV-positive patients between September 2010 and May 2011. Standard enzyme immunoassays were used to determine the serological prevalence of hepatitis B (HBsAg) and C (anti-HCV antibody) among HIV-positive individuals. Results: Among the HIV/AIDS positive individuals, we found that 35 patients were infected with hepatitis B virus (7.9%), 10 with hepatitis C virus (2.3%) and 3 with both hepatitis B and C viruses (0.7%). The overall hepatitis-HIV prevalence is 10.8%. The majority of the population infected was under 39 years of age (55%) and the same proportion of males and females was observed in all the studied categories (HIV, HIV + hepatitis B and/or C). Remarkably, an overall lower CD4 count was seen in the co-infected population (205 cells/mu l versus 243 cells/mu l), with the lowest seen for the triply infected individuals (97 cells/mu l). Conclusions: Our findings underscore the importance of screening for hepatitis B and hepatitis C viruses in the HIV-infected population in developing countries, and particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, where the epidemics are still growing.