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Prevalence and Clinical Significance of Occult Hepatitis B Infection in The Gambia, West Africa.
- Source :
-
Journal of Infectious Diseases . Sep2022, Vol. 226 Issue 5, p862-870. 9p. - Publication Year :
- 2022
-
Abstract
- <bold>Background: </bold>Prevalence and clinical outcomes of occult hepatitis B infection (OBI) have been poorly studied in Africa.<bold>Methods: </bold>Using the PROLIFICA cohort, we compared the prevalence of OBI between hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-negative healthy adults screened from the general population (controls) and HBsAg-negative patients with advanced liver disease (cases), and estimated the population attributable fraction for the effect of OBI on advanced liver disease.<bold>Results: </bold>OBI prevalence was significantly higher among cases (15/82, 18.3%) than controls (31/330, 9.4%, P = .03). After adjusting for age, sex, and anti-hepatitis C virus (HCV) serology, OBI was significantly associated with advanced liver disease (odds ratio, 2.8; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.3-6.0; P = .006). In HBsAg-negative people, the proportions of advanced liver disease cases attributable to OBI and HCV were estimated at 12.9% (95% CI, 7.5%-18.1%) and 16.9% (95% CI, 15.2%-18.6%), respectively.<bold>Conclusions: </bold>OBI is endemic and an independent risk factor for advanced liver disease in The Gambia, West Africa. This implies that HBsAg-negative people with liver disease should be systematically screened for OBI. Moreover, the impact of infant hepatitis B immunization to prevent end-stage liver disease might be higher than previous estimates based solely on HBsAg positivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 00221899
- Volume :
- 226
- Issue :
- 5
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- Journal of Infectious Diseases
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 159108560
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1093/infdis/jiab327