Compliance with hepatitis B and hepatitis C virus infection screening among HIV-1 infected patients in a resource-limited setting.

ABSTRACT

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections are important risk factors for mortality among HIV-infected patients. We assessed compliance with screening for HBV and HCV infection prior to initiation of ART in a resource-limited setting. Six hundred thirty-eight patients with a mean age of 38.4 years (53% males) were studied. Prior to initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) 371 patients (58%) were screened for HBV and 273 (43%) were screened for HCV infection. Of those screened, 9.7% had HBV infection and 8.8% had HCV infection. Given the relatively high prevalence of HBV and HCV infection among HIV-infected patients, screening for HBV and HCV infections prior to ART initiation should not be omitted in the resource-limited setting.