The prevalence of hepatitis B virus infection in Mashhad, Iran: A population-based study

Abstract

Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is the most common and serious liver infection in the world. An estimated 350 million are chronic carriers of this virus, of whom, more than 620,000 die from liver-related diseases annually. Due to vaccination program, prevalence of HBV, particularly among the younger generation, is reported to have declined in recent years in Iran. Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of HBV infection in Mashhad, North-East of Iran. Patients and Methods: Three thousand one hundred and ninety eight (3198) individuals living in Mashhad were studied using cluster sampling method. HBV infection was determined by HBsAg ELISA commercial kit. Positive results were subjected for PCR using HBV-specific primers. HBeAg, HBeAb, and HBcAb-IgM ELISA tests were performed for HBsAg-positive samples. Results: Patient age ranged from 15 to 65 years (Mean = 35.54 ± 14.85). Thirty four (1.0%) of subjects were positive for HBsAg, of whom, 2.9% (1 of 34 cases) was also positive in PCR- based screening. ELISA tests for HBeAg, HBeAb, and HBcAb IgM were positive in one (2.9%), 27 (79.4%) and one (2.9%) cases, respectively. Conclusions: According to our results, HBsAg was positive in 0.53 of the total population. The prevalence of HBV infection was seemingly low in Mashhad; however, it demonstrated an upward trend in older subjects probably due to successful HBV vaccination coverage in younger generation. Continuous surveillance and periodic population-based studies are essential to monitor the prevalence of HBV infection in Mashhad in the future.