Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infection in Zambia
Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infection in Zambia
Chronic hepatitis B virus infection is a common condition in Zambia. Among Zambian blood
 donors, up to 8% are chronically infected with HBV. Despite the burden, awareness of HBV is
 low in Zambia and the Ministry of Health is in early stages of development of guidelines for
 HBV screening, treatment, and prevention. The purpose of this clinical cohort study is to
 characterize the clinical features of chronic HBV infection at UTH and describe treatment and
 care outcomes. The investigators will enroll 500 adults and follow the cohort for up to 5
 years to assess short and long-term viral, serologic, and liver outcomes such as cirrhosis
 and liver cancer.
Viral hepatitis is the #7 cause of death worldwide, yet it has been neglected when compared
 to other infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. Chronic viral
 hepatitis is caused by hepatitis C virus and hepatitis B virus and these infections are most
 common in low and middle-income countries, notably Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. In Zambia
 there are limited data, but from an HIV cohort, the investigators of this study described
 10-12% prevalence of chronic HBV. To raise awareness of viral hepatitis in Zambia and to
 generate local data to guide policymakers, the investigators will recruit 500 adults with
 chronic HBV infection and follow the cohort in an observational cohort study. In the study
 patients would be managed according to standards of care and no experimental or
 investigational drugs would be used. The investigators will carefully describe patient
 clinical characteristics and among those who receive drug treatment, the investigators will
 describe the effectiveness of that treatment in reducing liver disease.
Inclusion Criteria:

 -  Age 18 years or older

 -  HBV-infected, defined as any single positive HBsAg assay

 Exclusion Criteria:

 -  Unable or unwilling to provide informed consent

 -  HIV-positive