Prevalence and Factors Associated with Serological Detection of Hepatitis B and C in Women of Childbearing Age Received at the Union Hospital in the N’Djamena South Health District in Chad

Viral hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver caused by a DNA virus in the case of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and RNA in the case of hepatitis C virus (HCV) and present on all continents. This was a descriptive study with analytical aims carried out from January 2024 to May 2024 in women of childbearing age received at the Union Hospital in the Health District of N'Djamena Sud. The data were collected using a data collection sheet and diagnosis of HBV and HCV was carried out with immunochromatographic tests on the cassettes. Total of 423 patients were enrolled. Among them, 39 samples from patients were positive and 384 negative for HBV giving a prevalence of 9.12% and 3 samples from patients were positive and 420 negative for HCV giving a prevalence of 0.71%. The prevalence of viral hepatitis was 9.83% in women of childbearing age. The age group of 25 to 34 years was the most represented with a frequency of 39.72% followed by that of 20 to 24 years with a rate of 35.22%. In this study, married women were the most represented, with a rate of 58.86% followed by women in cohabitation with a rate of 37.11%. Traders represented 31.91% and housewives a rate of 30.02% in this study. The prevalence was very high in patients with a secondary education level with 39.01% and 23.40% in patients with a primary education level. The factors influencing the circulation of HBV in this study were related to tattooing, multiple partnerships including 33.33% of recorded cases, 27.27% related to a case of HBV in the family; while those influencing the circulation of HCV were related to tattooing (33.33%). This study showed that HBV and HCV still circulate within the population despite systematic HBV vaccination among women attending prenatal consultations.