Abstract

This study was aimed at determining the prevalence of Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) among prospective blood donors and pregnant women in Kebbi State, Nigeria. Three hundred and sixty one (361) apparently healthy prospective blood donors were recruited and screened for HBsAg using HBsAg rapid test kit. Those that tested positive for HBsAg (16.6%) were further assessed for liver function. The prevalence by gender was 23.4% and 13.1% for male and female subjects respectively. Prevalence by the three senatorial zones of the state is in the order Kebbi South (21.8%) > Kebbi North (15.1%) > Kebbi Central (13.6%). Subjects within the age group 26-30 years had the highest HBsAg prevalence of 20.9% compared to the other age groups. Single males have higher prevalence (26.1%) of HBV infection than their married counterparts (16.7%). Local government workers had highest prevalence (29.2%) followed by self-employed (27.6%) and then state government employees (14.3%). In females, occupational exposure (healthcare worker) and polygamy are risk factors with highest prevalence of 40.0% and 23.2% respectively. The levels of serum liver enzymes and bilirubin were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in HBsAg positive subjects compared to the HBsAg negative subjects. The reverse was, however, the case for albumin. Our result suggests that Kebbi State is one of the HBsAg hyper-endemic areas in Nigeria.

Key words: Hepatitis B, Prevalence, Liver function test, Kebbi State.