Seroprevalence of Hepatitis B Virus and Hepatitis C Virus Infections Among People with Severe Mental Illness in Tehran, Iran

Background: High-risk behaviors in people with severe mental illnesses, such drug injection by shared equipment and unprotected sex, expose them to the risk of blood-borne infections such as hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections. Objectives: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of HBV and HCV serum markers in people with severe mental illnesses in Tehran, Iran. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, people with mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and depression, were studied. The participants were recruited using a non-random convenience sampling method from Roozbeh and Razi hospitals in Tehran between December 2019 and March 2020. Blood samples were evaluated for HCV-Ab, HBs Ag, HBs Ab, and HBc Ab using an enzyme immunoassay technique. Results: A total of 257 participants were recruited for this study; their mean age was 35.77 years, and 70.0% of whom were male. Bipolar disorder (40.5%) and schizophrenia (35.8%) were the most frequent severe mental disorders in the participants. The prevalence of HBV and HCV seromarkers was as follows: HBs Ag: 0.3% (95% CI: 0.0 - 2.0%), HBc Ab: 7.3% (95% CI: 4.6 -11.3%), HBs Ab: 18.7% (95% CI: 14.1 - 24.0%), and HCVAb: 3.1% (95% CI:1.3 - 6.9%). In logistic regression analysis, tattooing (OR=4.94, 95% CI:1.73 - 14.13) and age (OR= 1.06, 95% CI:1.01-1.11) were associated with HBV infection (HBc Ab positivity), and only tattooing (OR= 6.33, 95% CI:1.19 - 33.80) was significantly associated with exposure to HCV. Conclusions: The results of this study showed that the prevalence of HBsAg positivity in people with severe mental illness was not higher than that in the general population of Iran; however, HCVAb positivity was more prevalent in people with severe mental illness than in the general population of Iran. Preventive, diagnostic, and therapeutic interventions for HCV infection are needed in this population in Iran.