Sero-prevalence and determinants of Hepatitis B among a cohort of HIV-infected women of reproductive age in Nigeria

Abstract

Introduction Sub-Saharan Africa houses over two-thirds of the 37 million people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) globally and of this, 5–20% are co-infected with Hepatitis B virus (HBV). This is double jeopardy, especially for women of reproductive age in these settings, who can transmit both viruses vertically as well as horizontally to their children. The objectives of this study were to investigate the prevalence and determinants of HBV among women of reproductive age living with HIV. Methods This was a cross-sectional study of HIV-infected women of reproductive age in Benue State, Nigeria. Participants were eligible for the study if they were HIV-infected women (ages 18–45 years) receiving care from any of the selected study sites. A global rapid hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) antibody test strip was used to test for HBsAg in plasma. A pretested questionnaire was used to collect data on sociodemographic, clinical and lifestyle characteristics of participants. We estimated prevalence of HBV infection and used multivariable logistic regression to determine factors associated with the infection at a significance level of <0.05. Results A total of 6577 women were screened for HBsAg. The prevalence of HBV was 10.3% (95% CI: 9.5–10.9%). Age, parity and male partner’s HIV status were found to be associated with having HBV infection. Compared to women older than 40 years, the odds of HBV infection increased significantly with increasing age until age 35 years and decreased significantly with increasing parity (versus no parity). Women with HIV-infected partners and those without a partner had higher odds of HBV infection compared to women with HIV-negative partners. Conclusion HBV is hyperendemic among HIV-infected women of reproductive age in North Central Nigeria. Specific programs targeting HBV testing, vaccination and treatment of all women of reproductive age need to be developed in this resource-limited, high-need setting.

Molecular Characterization of Hepatitis B Virus among HIV Positive and HIV Negative Pregnant Antenatal Women in Federal Capital Territory Abuja Hospital

“…Ranges of 2% to 15% prevalence of HBV among pregnant women have been reported in Nigeria [24]. In contrast to our findings on similar research studies carried out in other part of Nigeria, the following reported a high prevalence rate of HBV infection (19.8%), among pregnant women attending antenatal care clinic at Federal Medical Center, Keffi, North-Central Nigeria 16.6% among patients attending a tertiary hospital in Jalingo at Ibadan 16.3% and 14.6% in Bauchi, North-Eastern Nigeria [19,[25][26][27]. A pooled prevalence of 13.6% for adults and 11.5% for children from another study conducted in Nigeria [28].…”

“…It has had a negative impact on the prevention, detecting and early treatment of the illness during pregnancy [18]. While few studies on the seroprevalence of HBV infection in pregnancy have been conducted in Nigeria, only a few of them took place in secondary healthcare centres in the country's southern area [19]. Perhaps there is a lack of understanding and information about the subject, particularly in FCTA.…”

Seroprevalence of Hepatitis B virus and human immunodeficiency virus co-infection in pregnant women from Osun State, Nigeria

“…However, this program does not address the virus's transmission risk from infected mothers to their babies. Additionally, more than 40% of Nigerians, including young women of reproductive age, live in poverty and cannot afford the HBV vaccination [22]. Routine screening during pregnancy is another preventive strategy for vertical transmission of HBV and HIV, but it is not commonly practiced in Nigeria due to the high cost of testing [20,21].…”