Seroprevalence of hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus infection among Malaysian population

Abstract

Malaysia is a country with an intermediate endemicity for hepatitis B. As the country moves toward hepatitis B and C elimination, population-based estimates are necessary to understand the burden of hepatitis B and C for evidence-based policy-making. Hence, this study aims to estimate the prevalence of hepatitis B and C in Malaysia. A total of 1458 participants were randomly selected from The Malaysian Cohort (TMC) aged 35 to 70 years between 2006 and 2012. All blood samples were tested for hepatitis B and C markers including hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), anti-hepatitis B core antibody (anti-HBc), antibodies against hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV). Those reactive for hepatitis C were further tested for HCV RNA genotyping. The sociodemographic characteristics and comorbidities were used to evaluate their associated risk factors. Descriptive analysis and multivariable analysis were done using Stata 14. From the samples tested, 4% were positive for HBsAg (95% CI 2.7–4.7), 20% were positive for anti-HBc (95% CI 17.6–21.9) and 0.3% were positive for anti-HCV (95% CI 0.1–0.7). Two of the five participants who were reactive for anti-HCV had the HCV genotype 1a and 3a. The seroprevalence of HBV and HCV infection in Malaysia is low and intermediate, respectively. This population-based study could facilitate the planning and evaluation of the hepatitis B and C control program in Malaysia.

Assessing the impact of simplified HCV care on linkage to care amongst high-risk patients at primary healthcare clinics in Malaysia: a prospective observational study

“…Malaysia is an upper middle-income country of more than 32 million people and an estimated HCV seroprevalence in the general population between 0.3% and 2.5%. 6 7 People who inject drugs (PWID) represent just 0.24% (75 000) of the adult population; however, they have an HCV prevalence of 67.5%–89.9%. 7 Other key populations in Malaysia at higher risk of HCV include 77 903 people living with HIV (PLHIV) (0.24% of the population), 8 221 698 men who have sex with men (MSM) (0.69%), 22 000 female sex workers (FSWs) (0.069%) and 15 000 transgender sex workers (TGSWs) (0.047%).…”

Incidence of Hepatitis C Virus infection and the potential predictors among patients with diabetes mellitus in the Bamenda Regional Hospital in Cameroon

“…The high prevalence in this small population can be attributed to the fact that diabetic patients are immune-compromised and secondly these individuals are exposed to HCV infection since they undergo frequent exposure to medical interventions and instrumentation. On the other hand, lower HCV prevalence in the range 0.02%-2.7% has also been reported among DM patients in other countries [2,6,15,23,28]. These differences in the epidemiology of diabetes and HCV between countries can be due to the differences in the study design.…”

“…Sharing objects such as sewing needles, shaving devices, toothbrushes, blades were reported by 5.7 % (11) of the patients. A total of 38.9 %( 75) have been hospitalized, 7.8% (15) have undergone surgery and 4.1% (8) had received transfused blood at least once in their lifetime. The majority of patients 86.0% (166) have scarification (tribal or traditional treatment marks) while 17.1% had tattoos on their bodies.…”

“…The relationship between diabetes and the liver has been shown to cause a huge health care burden [6,15,23]. However, there is a scarcity of such information in most developing countries especially in Cameroon due to the high cost of the test.…”

“…It has been reported that HCV and DM coexist in patients such that the etiology of DM can quicken the development of cirrhosis, hepatocellular, and carcinoma [2,14,15]. In a review carried out in both developed and underdeveloped countries, HCV prevalence…”