Changing serological status and low vaccination-induced protection rates against hepatitis B characterize chronic hepatitis C virus-infected injecting drug users in Greece: need for immunization policy.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the serological status of hepatitis B virus infection among Greek injecting drug users with chronic hepatitis C virus infection; to correlate hepatitis B virus infection status with the possible time of infection and the principal genotype of hepatitis C virus infection.


METHODS
Two hundred and thirty consecutive injecting drug users with chronic hepatitis C virus infection were evaluated for serological markers of hepatitis B virus infection. One hundred and three of them (44.8%) reported intravenous drug use beginning before 1992 (group A) and 127/230 (55.2%) after 1992 (group B). Statistical analysis of data was based on Student's t-test and chi analyses.


RESULTS
Eighty-five of 103 patients from group A (82.5%) and 28/127 (22%) from group B had serological markers of previous hepatitis B virus infection (P<0.001). Eleven patients from group A (10.6%) and 78 (61.4%) from group B were seronegative for all hepatitis B virus markers (P<0.001). Only 3.8% (4/103) of group A patients and 16.5% (21/127) of group B had vaccination-induced protective antibody levels (anti-HBs) against hepatitis B (P=0.02). The majority of patients were infected with hepatitis C virus genotype-3 (64.7% from group A vs 56.7% from group B, P=0.42). The percentages of patients infected with genotype-1 were also comparable in both groups (15.5% from group A vs 30.8% from group B, P=0.09). A significantly higher percentage of group A patients were infected with genotype-4 (19.7%) than those in group B (4.9%, P=0.02).


CONCLUSIONS
The serological profile of hepatitis B virus infection among Greek hepatitis C virus-infected injecting drug users is changing. The proportion of successfully vaccinated hepatitis B virus injecting drug users, although significantly higher than the previous decades, is still relatively low. Vaccination policy in this high-risk group for viral hepatitis is urgently needed.
Elefsiniotis
Ioannis S
IS
Department of Internal Medicine, Hepatology Unit, Hippokration Hospital, Athens, Greece. ielefs@acn.gr
Pantazis
Konstantinos D
KD
Ketikoglou
Ioannis D
ID
Koutsounas
Sotirios I
SI
Tsianos
Epameinondas V
EV
D000328:Adult; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006115:Greece; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000276:immunology*; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D017589:Immunization Programs; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D012698:Serologic Tests; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D013995:Time
D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines