Hepatitis B and C among women with illegal social behavior in Isfahan, Iran: Seroprevalence and associated factors

Background: in iran, there is limited evidence on the prevalence of hepatitis b and c viruses (hbv and hcv) among females who engage in illegal sexual behavior. objectives: to determine the prevalence of hbv and hcv infections and their associated factors in this population in isfahan-iran.patients and methods: in this cross-sectional study, 100 females who engaged in illegal sexual behavior during 2009-2010 in isfahan were recruited from welfare to the dic for women, and referrals were made among those who knew others who engaged in prostitution. markers for hbv and hcv-ab were measured by elisa, and recombinant immunoblot assay was used for confirmation of hcv infection. also, a questionnaire on demographics and prostitution-associated risk data in a face-to-face interview was completed for each participant. chi-square and multivariate logistic regression models were used for data analysis. results: of the 100 samples collected, 91 were sufficient for testing. the mean age and time spent in sex work were 30.84 ± 9.34 years and 36 ± 28.5 months, respectively. hbsag was detected in 1 (1.1%), anti-hbc in 4 (4.4%), anti-hbs in 60 (65.9%), and hcv ab in 9 (9.9%) subjects. the evidence of vaccination was seen in 54 subjects (59.3%). there were no significant differences in the prevalence of hbv or hcv infection by estimated risk factors, and there was no independent risk factor for these infections. conclusions: the high prevalence of hcv infection in this study indicates the need to implement preventive interventions for female sex workers and, perhaps more importantly,to involve their male clients.