Lien vers Pubmed [PMID] – 29805811
Lien vers HAL – pasteur-02642561
Lien DOI – 10.1155/2018/9462475
International Journal of Hepatology, 2018, 2018, pp.1-11. ⟨10.1155/2018/9462475⟩
Objective: Lao PDR is one of the most highly endemic countries for hepatitis B in Asia and the second country for liver cancer incidence. Therefore, the follow-up of infected individuals through predictive serological markers is of utmost importance to monitor the progression of the pathology and take the decision on treatment. Methods: A retrospective-descriptive cohort study was conducted on 3,857 HBV-infected patients. Information about infection status (viral load, VL), liver function (aminotransferases), and treatments was recorded. Results: M/F sex ratio was 1.77 for a median age of 37. Patients under 37 displayed higher VL than older ones and men had higher VL than women. Initial VL ranged from <50 IU/mL to 2.5 1013 IU/mL. Median aminotransferase values were 45.5 U/L for ALAT and 44 U/L for ASAT, ranging from <8 to >2,000 U/L. Men had higher aminotransferase than women. Globally 20% of patients received treatment (mainly immunostimulant and reverse-transcriptase inhibitors); 11% had high levels of VL and liver enzymes, but only 2% of them were treated. Conclusion: Public health decisions should be taken urgently to rationalise vaccination and provide fair access to early diagnosis and treatment; otherwise the burden of HBV-associated diseases will be overwhelming for Laos in the near future.