ObjectivesTo assess chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients’ knowledge about hepatitis B and their experience of discrimination with regard to study, work, and daily life.MethodsWe administered a questionnaire to 797 CHB patients in four provinces of China and used one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and a generalized linear model (GLM) to identify factors associated with discrimination.ResultsCHB patients had low levels of knowledge about hepatitis B. Patients under 40 years of age with a junior college education or above knew more about hepatitis B than CHB patients over 40 years of age who had only a high school education. Three-fourths of patients had experienced discrimination because of their hepatitis B infection, with no differences in the proportion experiencing discrimination by sex or age. People with more education reported less discrimination. Patients in Beijing and Henan province perceived less discrimination than those in Shaanxi and Guangdong provinces. Discrimination was significantly associated with negative emotions. CHB patients had little awareness of China’s anti-discrimination laws and policies. Among patients who had experienced discrimination, fewer than 10% knew organizations or institutions that could offer help. Over 60% of CHB patients who experienced discrimination chose not to respond.ConclusionCHB patients in China commonly experienced discrimination, which was associated with significant, negative emotional stress. To mitigate the damaging effects of discrimination, our study suggests raising general population knowledge about hepatitis B, raising awareness of the availability of legal protection and organizations that can fight discrimination, and providing psychological support for CHB patients.
Objectives: To evaluate the persistence of protection from hepatitis B (HB) vaccination among adolescents immunized with a primary series of HB vaccine as infants, and the immune response to booster doses. Methods: Healthy adolescents aged 15-17 y vaccinated with HB vaccine only at birth were enrolled. Baseline serum hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), antibody against hepatitis B surface antigen (anti-HBs) and antibody against hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc) were detected by Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) and anti-HBs level was measured using Chemiluminescent Microparticle Immunoassay (CMIA). The rate of HBV infection was calculated. The seroprotection rate of anti-HBs ( 10 mIU/ml) and GMC level were used to evaluate the persistence of immunity from HB vaccination. Those with anti-HBs < 10 mIU/ml were immunized with booster doses of HB vaccine and the anamnestic response was assessed. Results: Of 180 adolescents who received a primary series of HB vaccinations as infants, 3 (1.7%) had HBV infection and 74 (41.1%) had anti-HBs 10 mIU/ml with a GMC of 145.11 mIU/ ml. The remaining 103 (57.2%) with anti-HBs < 10 mIU/ml received a booster dose of 20 mg HB vaccine and achieved the seroprotection rate of 84% (84/100) and a GMC of 875.19 mIU/ml at one month postbooster. An additional dose of 60 mg HB vaccine was administered to the 16 adolescents with anti-HBs < 10 mIU/ml after the first booster. All of them obtained anti-HBs seroprotection with a GMC of 271.02 mIU/ml at 1.5 months after an additional dose. Conclusions: Vaccine-induced immunity persisted for up to 15-17 y in 89.3% (158/177) of participants after a primary HB vaccination in infancy. Administering a booster dose of 20mg HB vaccine elicited an anamnestic immune responses in the majority of individuals with baseline anti-HBs <10 mIU/ml.
ObjectiveThis study investigated the knowledge, attitudes and psychological status of hepatitis C virus (HCV)-positive patients through a cross-sectional survey to provide scientific strategies for improving their treatment compliance and quality of life.SettingThe research was conducted in nine hospitals in five provincial administrative regions in China, namely Inner Mongolia, Jilin, Beijing, Hebei and Sichuan.ParticipantsA total of 457 patients were recruited for this study and 409 patients were included in the final analysis. The participants were 215 men and 194 women, with an average age of 59 years.Primary and secondary outcome measuresThe primary outcomes were scores on scales assessing knowledge, attitudes and psychological status. The secondary outcomes were transmission of HCV, preference regarding the mode in which information about HCV was provided and factors affecting treatment.ResultsBlood transfusion was the most common route of HCV transmission (42.7%), followed by surgery (15.9%) and blood donation/sale (8.7%). The misunderstanding of HCV and negative attitudes towards other HCV-positive patients were relatively common among HCV-positive patients and were more pronounced among rural and ethnic minority populations. HCV-positive patients were generally categorised as possibly having symptoms of depression. Patients with negative attitudes were more likely to have symptoms of depression (OR=0.6, 95% CI 0.4 to 0.8).ConclusionsHCV-positive patients had a poor understanding of HCV and a negative attitude towards other HCV-positive patients. It is very important to develop effective health education strategies to improve the knowledge, attitudes and mental health of HCV-positive patients and enhance treatment compliance.
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