فراواني عفونت نهفته ويروس هپاتيت B در معتادين به مواد مخدر تزريقي

Frequency of Occult Hepatitis B Virus Infection in Injection Drug Users

Background and objective: Occult hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is characterized by presence of HBV infection with undetectable HBsAg. Occult hepatitis B infection is more common in a number of subgroups, including injection drug users (IDUs) and they are considered as a high risk group for HBV infection. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of occult HBV infection among male IDUs with isolated anti-HBc. Materials and methods: A total of 153 IDUs were included in this study. HBsAg, anti-HBs, anti-HBc, anti-HCV and anti-HIV were tested in all subjects. The presence of HBV-DNA was determined in plasma samples of individuals with isolated anti-HBc by real-time PCR. Results: Of 153 injection drug users enrolled in this study, 11 subjects (7.2%, 95% CI, 3.2%-11.2%) had isolated anti-HBc. HBV-DNA was detectable in none of 11 patients who had isolated anti-HBc. HBV-HCV co-infection was observed in 5.9%, HBV-HIV co-infection in 2% and HCV-HIV co-infection in 5.2% of cases. 1.3% of subjects were co-infected with HBV, HIV and HCV. Conclusions: Our survey showed that isolated anti-HBc and occult HBV infection were negligible in injection drug users who living in the Central province of Iran, where HBV prevalence is low, regardless of age, the type of drug (s) consumed, duration of injection drug use and HIV infection.