Document Type : Original Articles

Authors

1 Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran

2 Neonatal and Children’s Health Research Center, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, Iran

3 Cohort Research Center, Yasuj University of Medical Sciences, Yasuj, Iran

4 Division of GI/Liver, Department of Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA. USA

5 Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Health Research Institute, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran

6 Health Center of Hamedan, Hamedan University of Medical Sciences, Hamedan, Iran

7 Student Research Committee, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

8 Department of Health Education and Health Promotion, School of Health, Social Development and Health Promotion Research Center, Gonabad University of Medical Sciences, Gonabad, Iran

9 Abadan University of Medical Sciences, Abadan, Iran

Abstract

Background: Viral hepatitis is one of the world’s top five infectious diseases that cause premature death. Each year, at least one million people die from these infections worldwide. This study investigated the epidemiological features and trend of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections in Abadan City, southern Iran.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on recorded data of HBV and HCV infections from the notifiable disease surveillance system of Abadan University of Medical Sciences from 2014 to 2020. The incidence per 100,000 population for HBV and HCV infections has been calculated by study years and age groups. The chi-square test was applied to compare various types of infections.
Results: The average age of the participants was 40.47±13.20, ranging from 1-88 years. This study estimated the prevalence of HBsAg-positive cases from 2014 to 2020 as 1.53, 6.92, 7.07, 7.07, 8.15, 3.23, and 3.38 per 100,000, respectively. Also, the incidence of HCV-infected cases during these years were 3.23, 6.46, 11.84, 6.46, 8.92, and 2.15 per 100,000 populations, respectively. The average age of patients varied widely based on the type of hepatitis (P=0.001) so that the mean age in HBV-infected patients was 41.06±12.41 years, 41.76±12.99 years in HCV-infected and 22.93±18.02 years in HBV/HCV-infected patients.
Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest a lower prevalence of hepatitis B and C compared to other regional studies conducted in Iran. In recent years, the incidence of HBV and HCV has declined, indicating the successful implementation of the vaccination plan and observance of health tips in Abadan.

Highlights

Habibollah Azarbakhsh (Google Scholar)
Aliasghar Valipour (Google Scholar)

Keywords

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