Prevalence of hepatitis b, metabolic syndrome and Their association among prisoners at jimma town, South west Ethiopia

Abstract

Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection remains major global health problem, often progressing to chronic liver disease with metabolic complications. There is increasing evidence that patients with chronic liver disease are a higher risk of being diagnosed with metabolic syndrome (MetS). Prisoners, due to high-risk behavior and, the absence of harm reduction practice in prisons, are disproportionately affected by both metabolic syndrome and HBV. However, there is limited information in African countries, particularly in Ethiopia, regarding the prevalence and the association between hepatitis B virus infection and metabolic syndrome among prisoners, with contradictory findings in few available studies. Objective: To assess the prevalence of HBV infection, metabolic syndrome, and their association among prisoners in Jimma town, southwest Ethiopia, 2023. Materials and Methods: An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted at Jimma Zone prison in Jimma town from September 13 to October 5, 2023. A total of 403 prisoners were included in the study and selected by systematic random sampling. Data was collected using mobile data collection, the KOBO toolbox. Venous blood samples (5 mL) were collected for biochemical analysis and HBV surface antigen (HBsAg) detection using a Cobas 6000 module 501 analyzer. The collected data was exported to the IBM SPSS version 26 software for analysis. Descriptive statistics and inferential statistical tests using the Chi-square test and regression analysis were implemented. The association between the independent and outcome variables was examined using logistic regression analysis. The presence and strength of association were determined using odds ratio and 95% confidence interval (CI). Statistical significance was considered for P-value <0.05. Results: About 371 prisoners were included in the analysis with a response rate of 92.05%. The participants' mean age (±Standard deviation) was 31.93 (SD: ±13.13). The overall prevalence of hepatitis B virus and metabolic syndrome according to IDF criteria was 3.5% (95% CI: 2.8, 3.9) and 2.7% (95% CI: 2.2, 3.0), respectively. In multivariable logistic regressions, prisoners who had a history of contact with a jaundice patient (AOR=4.04; 95% CI: 1.09-14.93), had higher odds of developing hepatitis B virus, and prisoners whose age below 40 years (AOR=0.182; 95% CI: 0.048-0.68) were less likely to develop metabolic syndrome than the counterparts. There is no significant association found between metabolic syndrome and hepatitis B virus in this study. Conclusions and recommendations: The overall prevalence of hepatitis B virus and metabolic syndrome among prisoners in Jimma, Ethiopia were intermediate and low. These findings suggest that there is no significant association between hepatitis B virus infection and metabolic syndrome, highlighting the need for further longitudinal investigations to elucidate temporal relationships and potential underlying mechanisms.