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. 2022 Jul 24;14(8):1614.
doi: 10.3390/v14081614.

Prevalence and Predictors of Liver Fibrosis in People Living with Hepatitis B in Senegal

Adrià Ramírez Mena  1   2   3 , Ndeye Fatou Ngom  4 , Judicaël Tine  3 , Kine Ndiaye  4 , Louise Fortes  3 , Ousseynou Ndiaye  5 , Maguette Fall  3 , Assietou Gaye  4 , Daye Ka  3 , Moussa Seydi  3 , Gilles Wandeler  1   3   6 , On Behalf Of The Sen-B Study Group
Affiliations

Prevalence and Predictors of Liver Fibrosis in People Living with Hepatitis B in Senegal

Adrià Ramírez Mena et al. Viruses. .

Abstract

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is the first cause of liver cirrhosis and cancer in West Africa. Although the exposure to additional environmental and infectious risk factors may lead to the faster progression of liver disease, few large-scale studies have evaluated the determinants of HBV-related liver fibrosis in the region. We used transient elastography to evaluate the prevalence of liver fibrosis and assessed the association between HBV markers and significant liver fibrosis in a cohort of people living with HBV in Dakar, Senegal. The prevalence of significant liver fibrosis was 12.5% (95% confidence interval [CI] 9.6%−15.9%) among 471 people with HBV mono-infection (pwHBV) and 6.4% (95% CI 2.6%−12.7%) in 110 people with HIV/HBV co-infection (pwHIV/HBV) on tenofovir-containing antiretroviral therapy (p = 0.07). An HBV viral load > 2000 IU/mL was found in 133 (28.3%) pwHBV and 5 (4.7%) pwHIV/HBV, and was associated with significant liver fibrosis (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.95, 95% CI 1.04−3.66). Male participants (aOR 4.32, 95% CI 2.01−8.96) and those with elevated ALT (aOR 4.32, 95% CI 2.01−8.96) were especially at risk of having significant liver fibrosis. Our study shows that people with an HBV viral load above 2000 IU/mL have a two-fold increase in the risk of liver fibrosis and may have to be considered for antiviral therapy, independent of other disease parameters.

Keywords: HIV; Senegal; hepatitis B; hepatitis B viral load; liver fibrosis.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Proportion of participants in the different liver stiffness measurement categories, by HIV status, sex, HBV DNA (a) and ALT (b) values. |* p < 0.05 in univariable analyses.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Predictors of significant liver fibrosis in the full study population. Odds ratios were plotted on a logscale.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Predictors of significant liver fibrosis among treatment-naïve pwHBV. Odds ratios were plotted on a logscale.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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