Coinfections with Hepatitis B virus and Hepatitis C virus among tuberculosis patients in Jos, Nigeria

Abstract

Objectives: This study investigated the prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) among tuberculosis (TB) patients in Jos, Nigeria. Materials and Methods: Seventy-one (71) TB-positive individuals visiting anti-retroviral clinics (male and female between the ages of 15–55 years) were enrolled in the study. Questionnaires and consent forms were issued to these patients after obtaining ethical clearance for the study. Two milliliters of blood samples were obtained from each TB-positive individual by venipuncture and were analyzed using a hepatitis B and C rapid kit (Solid rapid test kit manufactured by Hangzhou Deangel Biological Engineering Co., Ltd. China). Analysis of data was performed with version 26 of SPSS software. Results: Out of the seventy-one (71) TB patients recruited in the research, 4 (5.6%) and 2 (2.8%) patients had hepatitis B and C virus, respectively. In this study, HBV seroprevalence, 3 (13.1%) and 1 (11.1%) were recorded among two age groups: 26–30 and 36–40 years, respectively. HCV seroprevalence, 2 (9.1%) was reported within the age group 26–30 years only. The age group and the prevalence of HBV and HCV among the study subjects had no statistically significant relationship (P > 0.05). Of the 37 females examined, 2 (5.4%) were positive for HBV or HCV, respectively, while of the 34 males, 2 (5.9%) had only HBV. The variables which showed no significant relationship with hepatitis B and C virus were age (P = 0.423; P = 0.436), sex (P = 0.660; P = 0.268), newly diagnosed TB patients and those on treatment (P = 0.416; P = 0.111), blood transfusion (P = 0.433; P = 0.330), illegitimate sex (P = 0.668; P = 0.239), tattoo (P = 0.298; P = 0.298), human immunodeficiency virus status (P = 0.542; P = 0.654), use of sharp objects (P = 0.409; P = 0.686), and knowledge of the virus (P = 0.702; P = 0.614) as P > 0.05. In addition, variables that showed a significant relationship with HCV infection are those that have not been vaccinated with hepatitis B (P = 0.015) as P < 0.05. Conclusion: TB patients attending the Faith Alive Foundation Hospital and Plateau Specialist State Hospital, Jos have a low seroprevalence of HBV and HCV and it is recommended that more sensitive and reliable diagnostic options such as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and polymerase chain reaction are employed in further studies. TB patients seropositive for HBV or HCV were referred to physicians for appropriate management to prevent complications and the likelihood of damage to the liver as a result of treatment with drugs against TB.