Prevalence of HBV/HCV Infections in HIV-Positive Patients in Northern Iran

Introduction: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection increases the risk of infection with other pathogens, including hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV). A crucial aspect of HIV prevention and treatment programs is knowledge of the prevalence of co-infection of HIV and HBV and/or HCV. This study sought to determine HBV and HCV co-infection in HIV-positive patients in northern Iran. Materials and Methods: Blood samples were collected from 83 HIV-positive patients whose infection was previously confirmed by real-time polymerase chain reaction in the HIV center in the North of Iran. A structured questionnaire was used to obtain socio-demographic data from participants. Samples were screened for hepatitis B surface antigen and anti-HCV antibody. All non-reactive samples were recorded as negative. Results: The 83 patients comprised 50 (60%) males and 33 (40%) females. Twenty eight (33%) and 15 (18%) subjects were positive for HCV antibody and hepatitis B surface antigen, respectively. Seven (8%) of subjects were co-infected with all three viruses. Conclusion: Seroprevalence of HCV and HIV co-infection was high and was strongly related to mutual acquisition.