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Significance of blood-related high-risk behaviors and horizontal transmission of hepatitis B Virus in Iran

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Abstract

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a significant public health problem and a leading cause of morbidity and mortality, and approximately 30% of the world’s population is infected with HBV. The objective of our study was to determine the seroprevalence of HBV and major risk factors associated with its occurrence. Four thousand eighty-seven healthy Iranian subjects aged 8-80 years were screened for HBV serological markers by an enzyme immunoassay method. A structured questionnaire was administered to all participants. Multiple logistic regression, an unpaired t-test for continuous data and the χ 2 test for categorical data were performed. A total of 4087 participants were tested for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), of which 62 (1.5%) were seropositive. Fifteen percent of the subjects were positive for anti-HBs, 6.3% were positive for isolated anti-HBc and 12.5% were positive for both anti-HBs and anti-HBc. Laborers showed a higher HBsAg+ seroprevalence and risk compared with jobless participants (Pearson’s = 8.276, P = 0.004; OR = 4.1, 95% CI: 1.5-11.2). Bivariate logistic regression revealed that the following variables were significantly associated with HBV seropositivity: phlebotomy (P = 0.002; OR = 5.0, 95% CI: 2.1-11.9), tattooing (P = 0.003; OR = 3.4, 95% CI: 1.6-7.0), intravenous drug use (P = 0.001; OR = 2.4, 95% CI: 1.4-4.1). The adjusted prevalence ratios remained significantly associated with HBV seropositivity and thus likely served as possible risk factors for HBV. The overall positive seroprevalence was 1.5%. Among the variables, only phlebotomy, tattooing and intravenous drug injection emerged as major potential risk factors for hepatitis B infection and responsible for transmission of the disease.

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Acknowledgments

We gratefully acknowledge the contributions of the doctors, nurses, laboratory technicians and other administrative staff of Hormozgan University Hospitals, Health Care Centers and Blood Transfusion Organization in Bandar Abbas for their kind help and cooperation. We are also thankful to the individuals for their participation in our study. This project was sponsored by a grant from Chancellor of Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Iran.

Conflict of interest

None declared.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Center for Tropical and Infectious Disease (RCTI), Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran

    Farshid Abedi

  2. Faculty of Health, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran

    Hossain Madani

  3. Blood Transfusion Organisation, Bandar Abbas, Iran

    A. Asadi

  4. Research Center for Molecular Medicine, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran

    Azim Nejatizadeh

Authors
  1. Farshid Abedi
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  2. Hossain Madani
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  3. A. Asadi
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  4. Azim Nejatizadeh
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Correspondence to Azim Nejatizadeh.

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Sponsorship: Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences.

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Abedi, F., Madani, H., Asadi, A. et al. Significance of blood-related high-risk behaviors and horizontal transmission of hepatitis B Virus in Iran. Arch Virol 156, 629–635 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00705-010-0902-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00705-010-0902-y

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