HIV and hepatitis B seroprevalence in trauma patients in North Central Nigeria.
BACKGROUND
With the high prevalence rate of HIV and Hepatitis B virus infections in sub-Saharan Africa, infected surgical patients, especially those with fresh open wounds, pose significant danger of occupationally-acquired infections to health workers.


METHODS
A two-year double blind study aimed at determining the seroprevalence rates of HIV and Hepatitis B virus infections among trauma patients with fresh open wounds in North Central Nigeria.


RESULTS
There were 134 patients with fresh open wounds in this study; their ages ranged between 17-80 years with a mean of 30.9 +/-9.6 years and the male:female ratio was 5:1. All the patients were tested for both HIV and Hepatitis B virus infections. Six(4.5%) patients were positive for HIV-1 while 95(70.9%) patients were positive for Hepatitis B. In all, 3(2.2%) male and 3(2.2%) female patients tested positive for HIV-1 while 77(57.4%) males and 18(13.4%) females tested positive for Hepatitis B; 5(3.7%) patients tested positive for both HIV and Hepatitis B. Though every social class was represented, HIV infection rate was higher in Social Class V than in Social Class 1 but the class incidence rate for Hepatitis B was about the same ranging between 1.2 and 1.6 for both the upper and lower classes. The significance of this study was that the incidence of Hepatitis B virus infection in trauma patients was remarkably higher than the incidence of HIV infection. The implication is that emphasis on control of exposure of health care workers to blood borne infections in the workplace should be as strong for Hepatitis B virus infection as it is for HIV.


CONCLUSIONS
The main finding of this study was the determination of the seroprevalence of HIV and Hepatitis B virus infections in trauma patients with open wounds which underpinned the dangers they pose to health care workers.
Ugwu
B T
BT
Department of Surgery, Jos University Teaching Hospital, Jos, Nigeria. ugwub@yahoo.com
Thacher
T D
TD
Imade
G E
GE
Sagay
A S
AS
Isamade
E I
EI
Ford
R W
RW
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D015528:HIV Seroprevalence; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009549:Nigeria / Q000453:epidemiology; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology*