Introduction: Very little information is available in Guinea on chronic hepatitis B infections. The objective of this study was to describe the epidemiological, clinical and biological features of patients who are chronic carriers of the hepatitis B virus. Patients and Methods: This is a retrospective study carried out from January 2017 to May 2020, based on the medical records of patients seen via consultation or hospitalized with a record of positive HBs antigen for more than 6 months. Clinical and paraclinical data were collected and analyzed. Results: Seven hundred and sixteen patients with a mean age of 35.6 ± 12.2 (sex ratio 2.05), were included. The HBs antigen was discovered incidentally in 36% of cases (n = 258). A history of dental care and surgical procedures was found in 46.3% (n = 290) and 21.1% (n = 138) of cases, respectively. The median value of ALAT enzymes was 34 (21 -47) IU/L. HBeAg was positive in 20.8% (n = 55/265) of cases. The median B viral load was 458.5 (87 -3827) IU/ml and 29% (n = 94) of patients had a viral load over 2000 IU/ml. Anti-HCV antibody was present in 10.4 % of cases (n = 39/374). HIV serology was positive in 2.7% (n = 8/298). A total of 19.4% (n = 139) of the patients had cirrhosis and 4.5% (n = 32) had hepatocellular carcinoma. Conclusion: The discovery of chronic HBs antigen was mostly fortuitous in young sexually active men, some of whom were already at the stage of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. The best prevention strategy against this infection remains early detection and vaccination.

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Introduction: Hepatitis B virus is endemic in Senegal, West Africa, however the prevalence of hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAg) carriage in Ziguinchor, Senegal is unknown. This study was conducted in order to determine the prevalence of HBsAg carriage among blood donors in Ziguinchor and to identify factors associated with HBsAg carriage.

Introduction: The therapeutic pathway affects the patient who changes care facilities. This change is linked to factors such as financial means, geographical accessibility of care facilities, quality of care and the socio-cultural perception of the patient. In countries with limited resources such as Guinea, the therapeutic itinerary remains multiple and hampered by obstacles. The objective of this study was to describe the therapeutic itinerary of patients living with hepatitis B and C at the Donka National Hospital. Material and methods: This was a retrospective, descriptive study lasting 43 months (24 January 2017 -27 August 2020); it focused on patients living with hepatitis B or C or viral cirrhosis. We collected sociodemographic, clinical and treatment history variables. The data were analysed with SPSS software version 21.0. Results: Out of 5400 patients, the proportion of viral hepatitis B or C represented 393 patients (7.3%). The mean age of our patients was 35 ± 10 years, with extremes of 16 -77 years. The sex ratio was 2.5. Three hundred and forty-two patients (87%) had recourse to modern medicine, mostly in private facilities (50.6%). One hundred and twenty-five patients (31.8%) had received previous treatment, half of whom (57.6%) had received inappropriate treatment. The delay in treatment was long in 45% of cases. The main reasons for delaying treatment were feeling unwell in 33.3%; not knowing to consult a specialist in 29.9% and feeling that they were being treated with useful drugs in 24.3%. Conclusion: The lack of training of general practitioners on the management of viral hepatitis and the scarcity of awareness campaigns on viral hepatitis contributed to the inadequacy of the management.