Comparative study of the frequency of occurrence of HBeAg, anti- HBe, anti-HIV and anti-HCV in pre-icteric, icteric and post-icteric HBsAg seropositive patients

Jaundice is associated with hepatitis B virus infection due to the destruction of the infected hepatocytes and intrahepatic-cholestasis caused by the scars of the healed hepatocytes. Hepatitis B patients that have never had jaundice are referred to as preicteric patients, while those that have recovered from jaundice are referred to as posticteric hepatitis patients. Those ones suffering from jaundice are referred to as icteric patients. This research work was designed to determine and compare the serological profiles of HBsAg seropositive patients. It will also be used to determine the relationship between jaundice and hepatitis B virus co-infection with HIV. The frequency of hepatitis B virus co-infection with HIV was found to be higher in hepatitis B patients that have had or are having jaundice compared to those that have never had jaundice. Frequency of Hepatitis B virus co-infection with HIV or HCV was found to be more in rural patients than in the urban patients and in rural female patients than the males. The frequency of hepatitis B patients co-infected with HIV was higher than those that were co-infected with HCV. Frequency of anti-HBe was higher in rural females than the males and urban males than the female patients; higher frequency of this antibody was also found in urban patients than the rural patients. Rural patients that expressed serum HBeAg were more than the urban patients were. However, more of the urban patients expressed anti-HBe compared with those in the rural area. Higher frequency of occurrence of HBeAg was found in icteric and preicteric patients than the posticteric patients and higher incidence of anti-HBe in posticteric patients than the pre and icteric patients were reversed during the second bleeding of the patients. Furthermore, the anti-HCV was found to be more in posticteric than the icteric patients were and none of the preicteric patients expressed anti-HCV. More antiHIV was found in post icteric than the icteric patients were. Higher frequency of occurrence was also found in icteric than the preicteric patients.