The relationships of chronic hepatitis and cirrhosis to alcohol intake, hepatitis B and C, and delta virus infection: a case-control study in Albania

Abstract

The present study examined the effect of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and alcohol intake, and the role of hepatitis delta virus (HDV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) in the aetiology of chronic liver disease in Albania. A total of 106 cases of liver cirrhosis or chronic hepatitis were compared to 195 control patients without these or other liver diseases. Adjusted odds ratios were 52.7 (95% CI 22.7-122) for HBV surface antigen, 26.9 (95% CI 4.9-147) for anti-HCV, 26.2 (95% CI 3-1-221) for anti-HDV, 2.4 (95% CI 1.3-4.4) for lifetime alcohol intake and 2.3 (95% CI 1-5.5) for duration of alcohol intake. Although not significant, an interaction was suggested between HBsAg and anti-HCV and between HBsAg and alcohol intake. Our study underlines the role of hepatitis viruses in the development of chronic liver diseases. Additionally, it suggests that heavy alcohol intake may magnify the effect of HBV on these diseases. HBV vaccination and alcohol abstention appear to be important strategies to reduce the risk of liver cirrhosis and chronic hepatitis in Albania.

Hepatitis B Virus Infection in Health Care Workers in Albania: a Country still Highly Endemic for HBV Infection

“…Previous data have shown that Albania is a hyperendemic country for HBV infection and with an apparently low prevalence of HCV and HDV infection in patients with chronic liver disease and in different groups of general population [7][8][9]. Prior to the HBV vaccination, started as obligatory only for the new-borns, since 1995, the vertical transmission and the acquisition of infection in the childhood have been the main route of HBV transmission in Albania.…”

“…Albania is a developing Mediterranean country where the prevalence of HBV infection is still high [7][8][9]. The vaccination program was started for newborns in 1995.…”

The contributions of hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus infections to cirrhosis and primary liver cancer worldwide

“…When the risk ratio is high (>10), as is the case for the risk factors and conditions under consideration here [16][17][18][19], the right-hand side of this expression approaches unity and the prevalence of the exposure among cases approximates the attributable fraction. Study-level prevalence data were adjusted to provide estimates of the fraction of cases attributable to infection with HBV or HCV as follows.…”

Alcohol consumption among patients with hepatitis B infection in northern Portugal considering gender and hepatitis B virus genotype differences

“…Although not significant, interaction was suggested between HBsAg and alcohol intake (Kondili et al, 1998). A study among the Portuguese population also found that alcohol intake was the most important risk factor to HCC, with a frequency of 5.2% in patients with alcoholic hepatic cirrhosis (Oliveira et al, 2001).…”