Prevalence of Hepatitis B Surface Antigen Among Patients Attending a Tertiary Care Centre, Davangere

Abstract

Background and Aim: Hepatitis B continues to pose a tremendous burden of disease globally. Information is very scarce on the prevalence of Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) in Davangere. This study was carried out to assess the seroprevalence of Hepatitis B Surface Antigen (HBs Ag) among patients attending a tertiary care centre in Davangere. Method: This is a retrospective study in which patients tested for HBV using HBsAg as a marker were reviewed over six months. A total of 1602 patients comprising of 982 males and 620 females in the age groups 15 to 65 years (yrs) were tested for HBsAg from March 2011 to August 2011 using a commercial Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) test kit. HBsAg seroprevalence rate of patients was calculated and stratified by age and sex. Statistical analysis was performed using Chi-Square test and Confidence Intervals(CI).Results: The study showed that, out of 1602 patients tested,58 (3.62 %) were HBsAg positive (95% CI: 2.7-4.5).Higher prevalence of HBsAg was found among males (4.79%)than females (1.77%)(p =0.002).The age specific prevalence rate rose from 1.85%(95% CI:0.4-3.2) in patients aged 15-25 yrs to a maximum of 5.74%(95% CI:3.09-8.39) in patients aged 46-55 yrs and decreased in older age groups(p<0.001).The peaks were detected in male patients aged 46-55yrs and in females aged 36-45 yrs. Jaundice was present in 8.62%(5/58) of HBsAg positive patients. Conclusion: It was found that variables such as age and sex were significantly associated with HBsAg positivity. HBsAg seropositivity in our study population was significant enough to implement strict community-based preventive measures and improved strategies for vaccination programmes.