Epidemiological Features and Risk Factors for Acquiring Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, and Syphilis in HIV-Infected Patients in Shaanxi Province, Northwest China

Abstract

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients are at a higher risk for co-infection with Hepatitis B virus (HBV), Hepatitis C virus (HCV), and Treponema pallidum (TP; the agent causing syphilis) than the general population. The prevalence of HBV, HCV, and syphilis has geographic differences and varies from region to region among HIV-positive individuals. A retrospective study was carried out on HIV-positive individuals between June 2011 and June 2016 in Shaanxi Province. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses using stepwise regression analysis regarding risk factors for HIV-HBV, HIV-HCV, and HIV-syphilis co-infection. HBV-HCV, HCV-syphilis, HBV-syphilis, and HBV-HCV-syphilis co-infection rates were 1.7%, 2.2%, 2.6%, and 0.1%, respectively. The rate of ineffective hepatitis B vaccine immunization was as high as 30.2% among HIV-positive individuals. Ethnicity (OR = 31.030, 95% CI: 11.643-82.694) and HIV transmission routes (OR = 134.024, 95% CI: 14.328-1253.653) were the risk factors for HCV infection in HIV-positive individuals. Among the HIV-positive individuals with the antibodies of TP, the rate of homosexual transmission was also higher, but heterosexual transmission was lower (OR = 0.549 95% CI: 0.382-0.789) The HIV-infected patients in Shaanxi Province had the characteristics of low active detection rate and late diagnosis. The high rate of ineffective vaccination against HBV suggests a need for improved vaccination services.

Keywords: HIV-positive individuals; Hepatitis B virus (HBV); Hepatitis C virus (HCV); co-infection; syphilis.

Figure 1

Prevalence of co-infection with Hepatitis B virus (HBV), Hepatitis C virus (HCV), and syphilis in 1018 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients.