Chronic hepatitis B in patients with schistosomiasis mansoni

A village, 20 miles north of Cairo, with a census population of 2010, was surveyed in 1976 by the Center of Disease Control (CDC) and the Egyptian Ministry of Health for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg). Ninety individuals (47 males and 43 females) were positive for HBsAg (a prevalence rate of 4.5%). Forty-two of the 47 males were the subject of this study. They were admitted to the Naval Medical Research Unit Hospital 2 years later. They all had active Schistosoma mansoni infection. Nineteen of the 42 were carrying HBsAg and the remaining 23 were negative for hepatitis antigen at this time of investigation. Histological examination of percutaneous liver biopsies showed chronic-active hepatitis in five of 17 HBsAg carriers including two with additional cirrhosis. Two others with clinical evidence of cirrhosis could not safely have biopsies taken. Two of these 19 persons died and three became incapacitated over 2 years of further observation. Of the 23 individuals who had transient HBsAg in 1976 and equally heavy S. mansoni infection, evaluation in 1978 showed chronic active hepatitis in one, and at re-evaluation 2 years later, one had become unable to work but none had died. Ten other individuals (military recruits) from different villages of the Nile Valley who had no schistosomiasis but were carriers of HBsAg, were symptom free and liver biopsy showed chronic active hepatitis in one individual and no morbidity or mortality in 2 years. Morbidity of chronic hepatitis B infection in S. mansoni infected persons appears to be unusually severe compared with hepatitis B infection in other populations.