Knowledge of hepatitis B virus among outpatients consulting in the hepatogastroenterology department at the Lome Campus University Hospital

Goal: To evaluate the knowledge about hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection of patients consulting in the hepatogastroenterology department. Materials/Methods: This prospective, descriptive, and analytic study took place over a two-month period among outpatients in this department of the Lome Campus University Hospital. Results: The study included 276 patients, predominantly male. Participants' mean age was 36.7 years (range: 17 to 75 years). In all, 190 patients (around 68.8%) confirmed that they had heard of this disease at least once, mainly via the media or the hospital. Twenty patients (10.5%) mentioned as the main means of infection sexual intercourse, body fluids (blood), and maternal-fetal transmission. Overall, 28 participants reported having been vaccinated against HBV. Of those who had ever heard of this disease, only 58 (30.5%) knew that it exists in an acute form and 69 patients (36.3%) about its chronic form. Thirty (15.8%) patients knew that cirrhosis and liver cancer are its main complications, and 68 (35.8%) were unaware that HBV treatment is available in Togo. Conclusion: This study revealed that participants had a poor level of knowledge about HBV.