Background
Prevalence and clinical outcomes of occult hepatitis B infection (OBI) have been poorly studied in Africa.
Conclusions
OBI is endemic and an independent risk factor for advanced liver disease in The Gambia, West Africa. This implies that HBsAg-negative people with liver disease should be systematically screened for OBI. Moreover, the impact of infant hepatitis B immunization to prevent end-stage liver disease might be higher than previous estimates based solely on HBsAg positivity.
Methods
Using the PROLIFICA cohort, we compared the prevalence of OBI between hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-negative healthy adults screened from the general population (controls) and HBsAg-negative patients with advanced liver disease (cases), and estimated the population attributable fraction for the effect of OBI on advanced liver disease.
Results
OBI prevalence was significantly higher among cases (15/82, 18.3%) than controls (31/330, 9.4%, P = .03). After adjusting for age, sex, and anti-hepatitis C virus (HCV) serology, OBI was significantly associated with advanced liver disease (odds ratio, 2.8; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.3-6.0; P = .006). In HBsAg-negative people, the proportions of advanced liver disease cases attributable to OBI and HCV were estimated at 12.9% (95% CI, 7.5%-18.1%) and 16.9% (95% CI, 15.2%-18.6%), respectively. Conclusions: OBI is endemic and an independent risk factor for advanced liver disease in The Gambia, West Africa. This implies that HBsAg-negative people with liver disease should be systematically screened for OBI. Moreover, the impact of infant hepatitis B immunization to prevent end-stage liver disease might be higher than previous estimates based solely on HBsAg positivity.