Study of the hepatitis b, d virus infection prevalence and risk behavers among the young population in Ulaanbaatar city

Abstract

Aim: To detect hepatitis delta virus infection and study risk behaviors in the population of 20-40 years old with chronic hepatitis B virus infection in Ulaanbaatar. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted using a population-based cross-sectional design and recruited young adults in Ulaanbaatar city. The Anti-HDV marker for HDV was tested in 2019-2020 by the in-house RFU method in the Virology Laboratory of Jichi Medical School, Japan. Parametric and non-parametric statistical analyses depending on distribution were performed using STATA 13.0 and SPSS-25 software programs and statistical processing by non-parametric methods. Results: A total of 3109 young adults aged 20-40 were involved in our study. 9.9% (308) of young people were infected with HBV and 5.0% (70) were infected with both HBV and HDV. Co-infection of HBV and HDV was detected in 46.5% of male participants while 13.4% had HBV infection and 6.8% had HDV infection. The finding significantly differed from female participants (p<0.0001). Men and young people aged 30-34 years had a combination of HBV and HDV infection. Conclusion: Children who have not been vaccinated against HBV as children (OR=1.347), have not been voluntarily vaccinated against HBV as adults (OR=1.816), had tooth filler or had stones removed at a dental clinic (OR=1.065), whose mother had a history of HBV infection (OR=1.805), and had hands or feet nail care (OR=1.475) at a salon had increased risk of HBV and HDV infection.