Sero-prevalence of HBV and associated factors among HIV positive adults attending ART clinic at Nekemte Specialized hospital, Nekemte, Western Ethiopia

Background: Hepatitis B is a major global health problem and potentially life-threatening liver infection caused by hepatitis B virus. It is more common in HIV infected individuals. The aim of this study was to assess the sero-prevalence of hepatitis B infection and associated factors among HIV positive adults on Antiretroviral Therapy (ART).

Method: A hospital based cross-sectional study was conducted from March to June, 2021.Samples were taken from randomly selected HIV positive adults visiting an ART clinic using a single population proportion formula. Blood sample were tested for HBsAg and data entered into Epi-data software 3.1, transferred to SPSS version 20 and analyzed. A difference was considered statistically significant at p value <0.05.

Result: Among 384 HIV positive adults on ART selected for this study, 199 (51.8%) were males and 185(48.2%) were females. Twenty-two (5.7%) individuals were sero-positive for HBsAg, of which 9 (2.3%) and 13 (3.4%) were females and males, respectively. Among the 384 adults, 22.7% of them had been married, and 9.1%, 40.9%, and 25% had been widowed, divorced and single, respectively and significantly associated with the presence of HBsAg at a 5% level of significance [AOR = 4.02; P = 0.041]. Similarly, regarding CD4 count, among the study subjects 0% of them had 200-250cells/µl and 251-300cells/µl, and 0.8%, 1.3%, and 3.6 % had <200cells/µl, 301-500cells/ µl and >500cells/ µl respectively and significantly associated with the presence of HBsAg at a 5% level of significance [AOR = 1.03; P = 0.034].

Conclusion: The prevalence of HBsAg was found to be moderate in HIV positive adults on ART. HBV infection had no significant effect on ART treatment progress or virological suppression. ART treatment had no association with HBV sero-negativity.CD4 counts had significant association with HBV infection. Provision of routine screening for HBV–HIV co-infected individuals and promoting awareness of this risk creation is necessary to advance treatment strategies.