Coinfection of HCV among HIV-infected patients: Across-sectional study in rivers State, Nigeria

Elenwo Mercy, Oketah Edith Nnenna, Okerentugba Phillip Oritsegbubemi and Okonko Iheanyi Omezuruike *

Virus and Genomics Research Unit, Department of Microbiology, University of Port Harcourt, Choba, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, 500102 Nigeria.
 
Research Article
International Journal of Science and Research Archive, 2023, 10(01), 758–763.
Article DOI: 10.30574/ijsra.2023.10.1.0551
Publication history: 
Received on 05 June 2023; revised on 09 October 2023; accepted on 12 October 2023
 
Abstract: 
Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) has emerged as the cause of the second major epidemic of viral infection after human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) within the past two decades. HCV is the cause of more than three-quarters of liver-relate deaths in HIV-seropositive individuals and it is remarkable that today approximately one-quarter of HIV-infected individuals
Aim: this study aimed at determining the prevalence of coinfection patterns of HCV among HIV infected individual in Rivers State, Nigeria.
Materials and methods: A retrospective survey conducted on 350 HIV infected individual attending ART clinic at Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Sociodemographic data were collected based on interviewer-based questionnaire, and clinical history was obtained from participants' medical records. Antibody analyses for HCV were done using ELISA method.
Results: The prevalence of hepatitis C virus coinfection among HIV positive individual was 6(4.0%), The prevalence of HCV and HIV positive individual with regards to age was high within the age of 21 -40 5(2.4%). Prevalence based on gender was females 4(1.1%) and males 2(1.4%), prevalence of HIV/HCV co-infection with respect to marital status was high among the single 6(4.9%), prevalence of HIV/HCV co-infection with respect educational status was high with tertiary 3(3.5%) than the secondary 3(1.6%). The prevalence among the different occupational groups, business had the highest co-infection rate (1.1%) followed closely by Working class (0.8%). Higher HIV/HCV co-infection was observed among those with CD4 cell count 350-499 cells/μl (4.6%).
Conclusion: However, the low burden of this hepatotropic virus coinfection calls for continued need to screen for HCV among individual infected with HIV before the start of ART.
 
Keywords: 
Antibodies; Coinfection; HCV; HIV; Rivers State; Nigeria
 
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