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. 2020 Jan 13;15(1):e0227041.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0227041. eCollection 2020.

Eligibility for hepatitis B antiviral therapy among adults in the general population in Zambia

Michael J Vinikoor  1   2   3 , Edford Sinkala  2   4 , Annie Kanunga  2 , Mutinta Muchimba  2 , Arianna Zanolini  5 , Michael Saag  1 , Jake Pry  3   6 , Bright Nsokolo  2 , Tina Chisenga  7 , Paul Kelly  2   8
Affiliations

Eligibility for hepatitis B antiviral therapy among adults in the general population in Zambia

Michael J Vinikoor et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Introduction: We evaluated antiviral therapy (AVT) eligibility in a population-based sample of adults with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in Zambia.

Materials and methods: Using a household survey, adults (18+ years) were tested for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg). Sociodemographic correlates of HBsAg-positivity were identified with multivariable regression. HBsAg-positive individuals were referred to a central hospital for physical examination, elastography, and phlebotomy for HBV DNA, hepatitis B e antigen, serum transaminases, platelet count, and HIV-1/2 antibody. We determined the proportion of HBV monoinfected adults eligible for antiviral therapy (AVT) based on European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) 2017 guidelines. We also evaluated the performance of two alternative criteria developed for use in sub-Saharan Africa, the World Health Organization (WHO) and Treat-B guidelines.

Results: Across 12 urban and 4 rural communities, 4,961 adults (62.9% female) were tested and 182 (3.7%) were HBsAg-positive, 80% of whom attended hospital follow-up. HBsAg-positivity was higher among men (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 1.37; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.99-1.87) and with decreasing income (AOR, 0.89 per household asset; 95% CI, 0.81-0.98). Trends toward higher HBsAg-positivity were also seen at ages 30-39 years (AOR, 2.11; 95% CI, 0.96-4.63) and among pregnant women (AOR, 1.74; 95% CI, 0.93-3.25). Among HBV monoinfected individuals (i.e., HIV-negative) evaluated for AVT, median age was 31 years, 24.6% were HBeAg-positive, and 27.9% had HBV DNA >2,000 IU/ml. AVT-eligibility was 17.0% by EASL, 10.2% by WHO, and 31.1% by Treat-B. Men had increased odds of eligibility. WHO (area under the receiver operating curve [AUROC], 0.68) and Treat-B criteria (AUROC, 0.76) had modest accuracy. Fourteen percent of HBsAg-positive individuals were HIV coinfection, and most coinfected individuals were taking tenofovir-containing antiretroviral therapy (ART).

Conclusion: Approximately 1 in 6 HBV monoinfected adults in the general population in Zambia may be AVT-eligible. Men should be a major focus of hepatitis B diagnosis and treatment. Further development and evaluation of HBV treatment criteria for resource-limited settings is needed. In settings with overlapping HIV and HBV epidemics, scale-up of ART has contributed towards hepatitis B elimination.

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Conflict of interest statement

MJV received research support from Gilead Sciences (IN-US-174-3939) and the Fogarty International Center at US National Institutes of Health (K01TW009998). The funders had no role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. Funding from Gilead Sciences does not alter our adherence to PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Recruitment flow diagram.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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