Onoriode Okpako Diamreyan, University of port harcourt, rivers state, nigeriaa

Authors: Onoriode Okpako Diamreyan¹, Kalio Awopolagha Justice¹, Osakuade Felicia Oluwatoyin¹

Discovering & Evolving

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) remains a world health challenge, with progression worsened by HIV infection. Co-infection with tuberculosis (TB) may further complicate treatment outcomes. The study examined the prevalence of HBV, TB, and their co-infection, as well as the demographic and clinical factors associated with these infections A cross-sectional study of 200 HIV-infected individuals on antiretroviral therapy at Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, Port Harcourt, was conducted. Screening for HBV surface antigen (HBsAg) IgG was done using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits manufactured by Bio-Inteco Diagnostics (UK) Ltd. TB was detected with rapid diagnostic tests, Mycobacterium tuberculosis IgG antibodies was detected using a commercial ELISA kit (e.g., Calbiotech Inc., El Cajon, CA, USA) and HIV viral load determined by using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Demographic and clinical data were obtained through questionnaires. The prevalence of HBV and TB was 3.0% and 2.5%, respectively, with no TB/HBV co-infection. HBV prevalence was highest among individuals aged ≥51 years (7.3%). With respect to sex, HBV was more common in males (12.9%), singles (8.5%), tertiary education (9.3%), non-alcohol consumers (7.0%) and participants with ≤20 copies/ml (5.0%). Conversely, TB prevalence was higher among those aged 31–50 years (3.9%), females (2.9%), married participants (4.4%), primary education (8.7%), non-alcohol consumers (2.3%) and participants with viral load ≥1000 copies/ml (9.1%). However, no statistically significant associations were found between demographic variables and either HBV or TB infection (p > 0.05). The study found no co-infection, highlighting the need for routine screening for effective disease control and management.