ABSTRACT
The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus [HIV] and Hepatitis B virus [HBV] infections in preoperative patients admitted for surgical operations at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital [LUTH], Lagos, Nigeria. Two hundred patients [200 samples tested for HIV] and [100 samples tested for HBV] comprising 90 males [45%] and 110 females [55%] were recruited into the study. Sixty eight of the 200 patients [34%] were scheduled for emergency surgery [group A] and 132 [66%] listed for elective surgery [group B]. Seven [3.5%] of the 200 patients tested positive for HIV 1 and 2 using the Well-coenzyme method. Five [2.5%] and 2 [1%] of the 200 patients confirmed HIV-positive were females and males respectively. Sixty-one [61%] of the 100 patients tested for Hepatitis B surface antigen were males and 39 [39%] females. Eighteen [18%] of the 100 patients examined were positive for [HbsAg]. Ten [10%] of the 18 HBsAg-positive patients were males and 8 [8%] were females. This study therefore showed the prevalence rate of HIV and Hepatitis B in preoperative patients at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital. It also to some extent reflects the prevalence of HIV and HBV in the general population