Prevalence and risk factors of Hepatitis C among individuals presenting to HIV testing centers, Hawassa city, Southern Ethiopia

BMC Research Notes

Techalew Shimelis¹  Zufan Sisay²  Yayehyirad Tassachew¹  Addisu Alemayehu¹ 

[1] Department of Medical Laboratory Science, Hawassa University, P. O. Box: 1560 Hawassa, Ethiopia;Aklilu Lemma Institute of Pathobiology, Addis Ababa University, P. O. Box: 1176, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

关键词: co- infection;    human immunodeficiency virus;    hepatitis C virus;    Prevalence;   

Others  :  1167461
DOI  :  10.1186/1756-0500-4-193

 received in 2011-02-14, accepted in 2011-06-15,  发布年份 2011

【 摘 要 】

Background

Hepatitis C virus (HCV), either alone or in combination with Human Immunodeficiency virus (HIV), constitutes a major public health concern. This study was conducted to describe the prevalence and risk factors for HCV infection in people with and without HIV infection.

Methods

Blood samples and data on socio-demographic and risk factors for HCV infection were collected from consecutive 400 HIV- positive and 400 HIV- negative individuals attending HIV testing centers in Hawassa city, from October to December, 2008. All sera were tested for antibody to HCV infection (anti-HCV) using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Sera positive for anti-HCV were further tested for viral ribonucleic acid (RNA) levels using real-time polymerase chain reaction.

Results

The rate of anti-HCV positivity was 10.5% in the HIV- infected individuals compared with 6% in the HIV negative group (p = 0.002). HCV-RNA was detected in 9.1% of anti-HCV positive samples and rates were comparable between HIV- infected and HIV- non-infected individuals. There was no significant difference in odds of HCV infection in participants with and without HCV risk factors in either HIV sero-group.

Conclusion

HIV infected individuals had significantly higher rate of anti-HCV although most of them showed no evidence of viraemia. Hence, while priority should be given for HIV infected patients, testing those with anti-HCV for HCV-RNA remains important.

【 授权许可】

   
2011 Shimelis et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

【 参考文献 】

• [1]Lavanchy D: The global burden of hepatitis C. Liver Int 2009, 29:74-81.
• [2]Alter MJ: Epidemiology of hepatitis C virus infection. Gastroenterol 2007, 13:2436-2441.
• [3]Liang TJ, Rehermann B, Seeff LB, Hoofnagle JH: Pathogenesis, natural history, treatment, and prevention of hepatitis C. Ann Intern Med 2000, 132:296-305.
• [4]Alter MJ: Epidemiology of viral hepatitis and HIV co-infection. J Hepatol 2006, 44:6-9.
• [5]Thimme R, Spangenberg H, Blum H: Hepatitis B or hepatitis C and human immunodeficiency virus infection. J Hepatol 2005, 42:37-44.
• [6]Frommel D, Tekle-Haimanot R, Berhe N, Aussel L, Verdier M, Preux P, Denis F: A survey of antibodies to hepatitis C virus in Ethiopia. Am J Trop Hyg 1993, 49:435-439.
• [7]Ayele W, Nokes DJ, Abebe A, Messele T, Dejene A, Enquselassie F, Rinke de Wit FT, Fontanet LA: Higher prevalence of anti-HCV antibodies among HIV positive compared to HIV negative inhabitants of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. J Med Virol 2002, 68:12-17.
• [8]Toro C, Simon A, Amor A, Jimenez V, Rios P, Soriano V: HCV seronegative infections in HIV patients with profound immunosuppresion. Fourth International Workshop on HIV and Hepatitis Co-infection Madrid, Spain; 2008.
• [9]Buxton AJ, Yu A, Kim HP, Spinelli JJ, Kuo M, Alvarez M, Gilbert M, Krajden M: HCV co-infection in HIV positive population in British Columbia, Canada. BMC Public Health 2010, 10:225-236. BioMed Central Full Text
• [10]Rockstroh JK, Mocroft A, Soriano V, Tural C, Losso HM, Horban A, Kirk O, Phillips A, Ledergerber B, Lundgren J, for the EuroSIDA Study Group: Influence of hepatitis C virus infection on HIV-1 disease progression and response to highly active antiretroviral therapy. J Infect Dis 2005, 192:992-1002.
• [11]Updated US Public Health Service guidelines for the management of occupational exposures to HBV, HCV and HIV and recommendations for postexposure prophylaxis MMWR 2003, 50:1-42.
• [12]Ethiopian Public Health Association (EPHA) Identifying HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted infections and tuberculosis research gaps and priority setting agenda in Ethiopia; 2005.
• [13]Brandão BMA, Fuchs CS: Risk factors for hepatitis C virus infection among blood donors in southern Brazil: a case-control study. BMC Gastroenterol 2002, 2:18-26. BioMed Central Full Text
• [14]Shev S, Widell A, Bergström T, Hermodsson S, Lindholm A, Norkrans G: Herpes simplex virus-2 may increase susceptibility of the sexual transmission of hepatitis C. Sex Transm Dis 1995, 22:210-216.
• [15]Mohsen AH, Easterbrook P, Taylor CB, Norris S: Hepatitis C and HIV-1 coinfection. Gut 2002, 51:601-608.
• [16]Medhat A, Shehata M, Magder LS, Mickhali N, Abdel-Baki L, Nafeh M, Abdel-Hamid M, Strckland GT, Fix AD: Hepatitis C in a community in Upper Egypt: risk factors for infection. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2002, 66:633-638.
• [17]Wolff FH, Fuchs SC, Barcellos NNT, Ricardo de Alencastro P, Ikeda R ML, Brandão BMA, Falavigna M, Fuchs DF: Co-infection by hepatitis C virus in HIV-infected patients in southern Brazil: genotype distribution and clinical correlates. PLoS ONE 2010, 5:e10494.
• [18]Orland J, Murphy LE, Wright JD, Kleinman S, for the NHLBI Retrovirus Epidemiology Donor Study (REDS) Group: Correlates of hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA negativity among HCV-seropositive blood donors. Transfusion 2006, 46:469-475.
• [19]Thomas DL, Astemborski J, Rai RM, Anania FA, Schaeffer M, Galai N, Nolt K, Nelson KE, Strathdee SA, Johnson L, Laeyendecker O, Boitnott J, Wilson LE, Vlahov D: The natural history of hepatitis C virus infection: host, viral, and environmental factors. JAMA 2000, 284:450-456.
• [20]Shores NJ, Maida I, Soriano V, Núňez M: Sexual transmission is associated with spontaneous HCV clearance in HIV-infected patients. J hepatol 2008, 49:323-328.