Abstract
ABSTRACT Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection represent a major cause of liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma, and the virus is still a serious public health concern, particularly in Sub-Saharan African nations, where the prevalence is around 8%. some of this countries are neighboring to areas of south Libya. Limit is known about its epidemiology in population of south Libya. Aims: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of HBV in general population, to investigate the risk factors for contracting HBV infection, and to evaluate coinfection HBV/HCV in Ghudduwah population. Methods: this Community based Cross sectional study was carried out for a period between April and October 2015.We randomly selected 352 subjects from a general population. A standardized questionnaire was used to obtain data: socio-demographic, medical histories, risk factors for acquiring HBV infections and HBV vaccination details from participants. Samples were tested for HBsAg and anti-HBc by (ELISA, Microwell method), HBsAg positive samples were investigated for anti-HBc IgM, HBeAg, anti-HBe, anti-HDV, anti-HCV, anti-HIV and anti-HBc positive samples were tested for the presence of anti-HBs by (Chemiluminescent Immunoassay). Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS version 22. Results: A total of 352 participants (221 women, 131 men) were registered. The average age of the participants was 31.3 ± 16.0 years. The prevalence of HBsAg was 2.8% (men: 4.5%; women: 0%; p = 0.013). The prevalence of HBc-Ab was 21% (men: 25.8%; women: 12.9%; p = 0.041).The prevalence of HCV-Ab was 22.4% (men: 26.2%; women: 16%; p = 0.02). While the prevalence of coinfections HBsAg-HCV and HBcAb- HCV in participants were 10% and 37.8%, respectively. A high rate of HBsAg was found in the 16-30 age range (5.4% ) with no relationship with age (P= 0.152), but prevalence of HBcAb and HCV were statistically significant observed in age group 31-45 (P= 0.01) and age group 16-30 (P= 0.017), respectively. No statistical significance association between HBsAg and other variables such as history of surgical procedure, dental treatment, history of blood transfusion, family history of viral hepatitis, history of IDU, tattoos/scarification. History of blood transfusion (50%) and treated in dental procedures (25.4%) were the main factors of past hepatitis B virus infection, whereas dental procedures (30%), history of blood transfusion (60%), family history of viral hepatitis (46.6%) and tattoos/scarification (47.6%) were significantly associated with HCV transmission. Conclusion: The prevalence of HBsAg is low-intermediate, whereas HBc-Ab and HCV-Ab are high in this population. History of blood transfusion, treated in dental procedures family history of viral hepatitis and tattoos/scarification were the most common risk factors. Keywords: Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Libya, Ghudduwah, Prevalence, Risk factors