The Prevalence of Hepatitis B and C Virus Co-Infection Among a Group of Iranian Population

Background: The risks of advanced liver disease, cirrhosis, and liver cancer among patients with hepatitis B and C virus co-infection are greater than in patients with either hepatitis B or hepatitis C virus infection. Objectives: The present study sought to assess the prevalence of hepatitis C virus infection among individuals with hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) seropositivity in Mashhad, the largest city in the northeast of Iran. Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study was conducted in 2017 on 284 individuals with HBsAg seropositivitywhoreferred from April 2016 to March 2017 to the Central Diagnostic Laboratory of the Academic Center for Education, Culture, and Research, Mashhad, Iran. Commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits were used for detection of hepatitis C virus. Moreover, real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction quantification test was performed for individuals with hepatitis C virus antibody. Results: Participants were aged 4 - 89 years. Among them, 158 (55.6%) were male with a mean age of 43.9 14 and 126 (44.4%) were female with a mean age of 40.5 14.1. Hepatitis C virus antibody was detected only in four individuals (1.41%) and hepatitis C virus RNA (genotype 3) was detected only in one of these individuals with a viral load of 1000 copies/ml. Conclusions: Study findings show the low prevalence of hepatitis B and C virus co-infection in Mashhad, Iran.