Virological profile of hepatitis B infection in Black African HBsAg chronic carriers

Koffi Alain Attia, Stanislas Doffou, Ya Henriette Kissi, Demba Bangoura, Seka Mondesir Pianiza, Kouame Alassan Mahassadi, Fulgence Yao Bathaix, Mohamed Sayegh, Thérèse N’dri-Yoman

Clinique Médicale Danga, Cocody, Abidjan, C?te d’Ivoire.
Service de Médecine et d’Hépato-Gastroentérologie, CHU Yopougon, Abidjan, C?te d’Ivoire.

DOI: 10.4236/ojgas.2013.32019                

Abstract

Aims: 1) Describe virological profile of patients followed-up for chronic Hepatitis B virus (HBV); 2) Search for a correlation between cirrhosis and virological profile of patients. Patients and Methods: Retrospective study about 75 HBsAg positive patients followed-up for at least one year in two medical structures of Abidjan. Studied parameters: clinical signs, biological check-up (serum transaminases every 3 months for at least one year, platelets count and prothrombin rate), abdominal echography, virological check-up (HBsAg, HBeAg, anti-HBe, total anti-HBc, anti-VHC and anti- HIV Ab, HBV DNA biannual quantification during at least one year). Histological or biochemical evaluation of hepatic activity and fibrosis were realized in case of transaminases elevation or HBV DNA > 2000 IU/ml. Results: The mean age of our 75 patients (54 men) was 42.1 ± 11.54 years. HBV was fortuitously discovered in most of our patients (74.7% of the cases). The HBV inactive chronic carriage was 50.7%; HBeAg-positive and HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis represented respectively 9.3% and 40% of the cases. Mean B viral load was 327.5 IU/ml in HBV inactive chronic carriers, 44,047,663 IU/ml in HBeAg-positive chronic HBV and 20,231,822 IU/ml in HBeAg-negative chronic HBV. Cirrhosis prevalence was significantly high- er in positive or negative HBeAg chronic HBV than in HBV inactive chronic carriers (32.4% vs. 5.3%, p = 0.008; OR = 8.6). Conclusion: Our patients’ virological profile was dominated by HBeAg-negative chronic HBV and HBV inactive chronic carriage. The risk of having cirrhosis was multiplied by 8.6 in case of active chronic hepatitis compared with HBV inactive chronic carriage.

Keywords

Hepatitis B Virus; Virological Profile; Cirrhosis

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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