Higher prevalence of Hepatitis B virus Infection among ARV- exposed than naive HIV-infected individuals in North Shewa Zone, Ethiopia

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) coinfection with HIV is becoming a major challenge in developing countries, including Ethiopia. The problem has not received adequate attention by researchers since the introduction of antiretroviral treatment. This study aims to determine the magnitude of coinfection and identify factors associated with it between ARV-exposed and ARV- naive individuals. Comparative cross-sectional study was conducted among HIV/AIDS clients. Data were gathered from 760 patients. HBV infection was confirmed using hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) tests. Logistic regression analysis was carried out to identify determinant factors using statiscal package for social sciences (SPSS) Version 18. The prevalence of HBsAg was 3.9% irrespective of treatment status; 5.3 and 2.6% among ARV-exposed and naive individuals, respectively. Men had higher risk of developing HBV infection than women. In ARV-naive individuals, HBsAg sero-prevalence was correlated with poor CD4 cell recovery and previous TB treatment. Moreover, male sex with previous liver disease were risk factors for HBsAg positivity in ARV-exposed individuals. The magnitude of HBV infection among HIV- infected individuals was high among treatment exposed individuals. High HBsAg positivity among ARV-exposed individuals warrants molecular studies to determine the real cause thereby guide future treatment approaches.   Key words: active  antiretroviral  treatment  (HAART), HBsAg, HBV/HIV co-infection, ARV-exposed, ARV-naive.