Prevalence and Determinants of Hepatitis C Virus Infection among HIV Infected Subjects in Benin City, Nigeria

Background: Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infection is common among HIV infected patients and associated with adverse health outcome. Aim: This study aimed at determining the prevalence and risk factors for HCV sero-positivity among HIV infected patients in Benin City, Nigeria. Materials and Methods: Seven milliliters of whole blood was collected from a total of 613 HIV positive patients (comprising of 480 HAART exposed and 133 HAART naïve patients) and screened for the presence of antibodies to Hepatitis C virus using immuno-chromatographic technique. CD4+ T lymphocyte estimation was done using flow cytometry. Age range of patients was 4-75 years. A questionnaire was used to obtain relevant information from study participant. Results: Overall, the prevalence of HCV was 4.1% and was significantly affected by age (P=0.012) of participants A statistically significant association was observed between presence of tribal marks and HCV infection (OR= 2.624; 95% CI = 1.123, 6.130; P = 0.026). Other types of body scarification (tattoo, ear piercing and medical marks) were not observed as risk factors for HCV infection (P ˃ 0.05). The prevalence of HCV was not significantly affected by gender (P = 0.766), history of blood transfusion (P = 0.123), surgery (P = 0.726), and HAART status of HIV infected patients (P = 0.311). HAART naïve patients with CD4 count ≥ 200 cells.mm had an insignificantly (P = 0.142) higher sero-prevalence of HCV, than those with lower count: Conclusions: Age and presence of tribal marks were identified as risk factors for acquisition of HCV infection. Prompt intervention is advocated to reduce the prevalence of HCV infection and associated sequalae.