Association of Patients’ Geographic Origins with Viral Hepatitis Co-infection Patterns, Spain

Abstract

To determine if hepatitis C virus seropositivity and active hepatitis B virus infection in HIV-positive patients vary with patients’ geographic origins, we studied co-infections in HIV-seropositive adults. Active hepatitis B infection was more prevalent in persons from Africa, and hepatitis C seropositivity was more common in persons from eastern Europe.

Influence of Geographical Origin and Ethnicity on Mortality in Patients on Antiretroviral Therapy in Canada, Europe, and the United States

“…Arnold et al reviewed 37 studies from EU countries and report that migrants of unknown HIV status from non-Western countries were more likely to develop infectious disease-related cancers and less likely to develop those causally linked to lifestyles of affluent societies [31][32][33]. These findings are consistent with the variations in hepatitis B and C epidemiology of HIV-positive populations by geographic origin [34]. These nativity differentials have been also described in the United States by Singh and Hiatt for major cancers, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, respiratory diseases, unintentional injuries, and suicide, with immigrants experiencing generally lower mortality than US-born people [35].…”