Prevalence of hepatitis B and C infections in rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis: A multicenter countrywide study

Abstract

Objective: Immunosuppressive therapies, especially tumor necrosis factor-α inhibitors, are frequently used in treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and ankylosing spondylitis (AS). These therapies can induce viral reactivation in concurrent hepatitis B virus (HBV)-or hepatitis C virus (HCV)-positive patients. On the other hand, the prevalence of HBV and HCV infections is not exactly known in RA and AS patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of HBV and HCV infections in RA and AS patients.Material and Methods: A group of 1517 RA and 886 AS consecutive patients followed by six different rheumatology outpatient clinics of Turkey were recruited in this study. The prevalence of HBV surface antigen (HBsAg) and HCV antibody (anti-HCV) were retrospectively investigated.Results: The mean age was 49.0±13.2 years in RA and 37.3±10.5 years in AS patients. HBsAg prevalence was 35 (2.3%) in RA and 27 (3%) in AS patients. Anti-HCV prevalence was 17 (1.1%) and 10 (1.1%), respectively. In the RA group, both HBsAg and anti-HCV positive patients were older than negative ones (p<0.05), and the highest prevalence was found in those 60-69 years (p<0.05).

Hepatitis B virus infection among patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis in Suez Canal University Hospital

“…Similar to our results, findings from a Brazilian study where RA existed in 2.6% of patients with current HBV infection [10]. On the national level, a study conducted at Assiut University Hospital revealed similar findings; a 2% prevalence of HBV infection among RA patients [11].…”

Impact of Interferon-Based Therapy on Hepatitis C-Associated Rheumatic Diseases: A Nationwide Population-Based Cohort Study

“…The fact that the HCV-uninfected cohort had the lowest cumulative incidence of rheumatic diseases, and HCV infection increased the HR of developing rheumatic diseases based on multivariate analyses, endorsed the concept that HCV infection might cause rheumatic diseases, despite the fact that some studies did not support the participation of HCV infection in the pathogenesis of RA [ 29 , 30 , 31 ]. However, given that the HRs in developing rheumatic diseases between the HCV-treated and HCV-untreated cohorts were indifferent, the HCV-associated risk of rheumatic diseases might not be attenuated by interferon-based anti-HCV therapy.…”

Interferon-based therapy did not attenuate hepatitis C-associated rheumatic disorder risk: A nationwide population-based cohort study

“…The facts that the HCV-uninfected cohort had the lowest cumulative incidence of rheumatic disorders, and HCV infection increased the HR of developing rheumatic disorders based on multivariate analyses endorsed the concept that HCV infection might cause rheumatic disorders, despite some studies did not support the participation of HCV infection in the pathogenesis of RA [25][26][27]. However, given that the HRs in developing rheumatic disorders between the HCV-treated and HCV-untreated cohorts were indifferent, the HCV-associated risk of rheumatic disorders might not be attenuated by interferon-based anti-HCV therapy.…”