Epidemiological, Clinical and Biological Characteristics of Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B Infection Followed-Up at the University Hospital of Conakry, Guinea

Introduction: Very little information is available in Guinea on chronic hepatitis B infections. The objective of this study was to describe the epidemiological, clinical and biological features of patients who are chronic carriers of the hepatitis B virus. Patients and Methods: This is a retrospective study carried out from January 2017 to May 2020, based on the medical records of patients seen via consultation or hospitalized with a record of positive HBs antigen for more than 6 months. Clinical and paraclinical data were collected and analyzed. Results: Seven hundred and sixteen patients with a mean age of 35.6 ± 12.2 (sex ratio 2.05), were included. The HBs antigen was discovered incidentally in 36% of cases (n = 258). A history of dental care and surgical procedures was found in 46.3% (n = 290) and 21.1% (n = 138) of cases, respectively. The median value of ALAT enzymes was 34 (21 - 47) IU/L. HBeAg was positive in 20.8% (n = 55/265) of cases. The median B viral load was 458.5 (87 - 3827) IU/ml and 29% (n = 94) of patients had a viral load over 2000 IU/ml. Anti-HCV antibody was present in 10.4 % of cases (n = 39/374). HIV serology was positive in 2.7% (n = 8/298). A total of 19.4% (n = 139) of the patients had cirrhosis and 4.5% (n = 32) had hepatocellular carcinoma. Conclusion: The discovery of chronic HBs antigen was mostly fortuitous in young sexually active men, some of whom were already at the stage of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. The best prevention strategy against this infection remains early detection and vaccination.