Background: In patients who are hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA-positive, but HBV surface antigen (HBsAg) -negative, the infection is referred to as occult hepatitis B infection (OBI). Occult HBV infection is harmful when other liver diseases are present, and can aggravate liver damage in in patients with chronic liver diseases. In human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection the suppression of vir...

BACKGROUND In Iran, the number of injecting drug users (IDUs) has increased in recent years. The rates of hepatitis C virus (HCV) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections among IDUs are reportedly high. OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to assess factors correlated with HCV and HBV infections among IDUs in Tehran. PATIENTS AND METHODS A cross-sectional study included 899 IDUs recruited...

BACKGROUND In Iran, there is limited evidence on the prevalence of hepatitis B and C viruses (HBV and HCV) among females who engage in illegal sexual behavior. OBJECTIVES To determine the prevalence of HBV and HCV infections and their associated factors in this population in Isfahan-Iran. PATIENTS AND METHODS In this cross-sectional study, 100 females who engaged in illegal sexual behavior ...

Mohammad Motamedifar1,2, PhD; Mohammad Taheri2, MSc; Kamran Bagheri Lankarani3, MD; Mina Gholami2, BC; Mahmood Amini Lari1, MD; Hossein Faramarzi1, MD; Jamal Sarvari2, PhD Abstract Evidence has shown that liver disease caused by hepatitis viruses can be more aggressive and severe in HIV infected subjects. Therefore, the present cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate the seroprevalence of HDV i...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Health care workers (HCWs) are at risk of contracting and spreading hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) to others. The aim of this study was to evaluate knowledge, attitudes and behavior of physicians concerning HBV and HCV. METHODS A 29-item questionnaire (reliability coefficient = 0.7) was distributed at two national/regional congresses and two university...

According to the World Health Organization, about 2 billion persons worldwide have been infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV). More than 350 million are chronically infected worldwide with a high risk of developing liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) (representing 1million deaths per year). The epidemiology of HCC is peculiar with both geographic and temporal patterns of incidenc...

BACKGROUND Hepatitis B virus (HBV) gene and protein variations have frequently been observed in chronic patients. The aims of this study were to determine the genotypes as well as the patterns of HBsAg variations in chronically-infected patients from the south-eastern part of Iran. METHODS Twenty- one chronic inactive HBV carriers from Sistan-Balouchestan Province (an area with a low prevalen...

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is contagious with transmissiobn vertically or horizontally by blood products and body secretions. Over 50% of Iranian carriers contracted the infection prenatally, making this the most likely route of transmission of HBV in Iran. To evaluate the resistance to adefovir (ADV) therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis B infection, a study was conducted on 70 pat...