Prevalence of Subclinical Cases of HBsAg and IgM-HCV Positivity among Healthy Iraqi Individuals

Abstract

Background: A significant proportion of the world's population suffers from chronic viral hepatitis B (HBV) and hepatitis C (HCV) infection, and both HBV and HCV are leading causes of chronic liver disease (CLD), leading to significant morbidity and mortality.Objective: This study aimed to understand the prevalence of subclinical cases of HBV-surface antigen (HBsAg) and IgM-HCV positivity among healthy individuals for early intervention and treatment through an enzyme-linked immune-sorbent assay test. Materials and methods: A total of 250 blood samples were collected from healthy individuals (HI) along with surgeries, before marriage, and blood donors. Results: showed that a reaction for HBsAg and IgM-HCV positivity was 16.4% (41/250) and 13.6% (34/250) of healthy individuals respectively as a sub-clinical case, and there was significant disappearance of the viral infection among HI. A higher frequency of viral occurrence was reported in ages between 21 to 40 years old. There was a significant increase in males 53.3% and 64.7% than in females 46.7% and 35.3% regarding HBsAg and IgM-HCV respectively. Furthermore, this study showed that there was significant HCV infection appearance in males than in females in contrast with HBsAg was not significant. There was a higher significant increase of the viral infection obtained among married (p < 0.001) females and males. This finding pointed out the reveal of viral infection mostly in individuals aged more than 30 years old accompanied by an increase with sexual contact. Conclusion: Screening protocols being mandatory in government agencies for at-risk populations can help identify subclinical cases and prevent further transmission.