Hepatitis B virus prevalence, among hemodialysis patients in Sana'a, Yemen
Background and Objective: The United Nations considers the situation in Yemen to be one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. The fastest-spreading viral infection has been recorded among dialysis patients. Therefore, this study was conducted at the Dialysis Unit of Al-Thawra Modern General Hospital to estimate the prevalence of Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection among patients undergoing dialysis during the dialysis crisis in Yemen.
Methodology: The study included all patients who continuous dialysis from January 2023 to December 2024 who free of HBV infection at the start of dialysis. Patients who discontinued dialysis before the end of the year due to death or transfer were excluded. Patients were tested for hepatitis B surface antigens (HBsAg). Data for each patient were collected using a pre-designed questionnaire that included demographic data on dialysis frequency, probability of associated HBV infection, and laboratory results.
Results: The study of 226 patients undergoing dialysis at Al-Thawra Modern General Hospital in Sana’a showed a demographic distribution of 56.6% males and 43.4% females, with a mean age of 40.5 years. The 26-35 age group comprised 27.9% of the patients. The prevalence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) was 11.7% in males and 0.0% in females, peaking at 26.3% in the 16-25 age group. Primary antibody positivity for HB-core was 49.2% in males and 58.2% in females, with a low prevalence of 21.4% among those aged ≤ 16 years. Living in rural areas was strongly associated with HBV infection (66.3%). Previous hepatitis B infections were also statistically significant, and non-vaccination was strongly associated with an infection rate of 73.7%.
Conclusion: In conclusion, the spread of hepatitis B virus infection in dialysis patients in our environment after dialysis was very common and could lead to a disaster for dialysis patients.
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