Prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus and hepatitis B virus in preoperative patients: potential risk of transmission to health professionals

The aim of present study was to determine the prevalence of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) infections in preoperative patients admitted for surgical procedures at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Lagos, Nigeria. Two hundred patients (200 samples tested for HIV) and (100 samples tested for HBV) comprising 90 males (45%) and 110 females (55%) were recruited into the study. Sixty-eight of the 200 patients (34%) were scheduled for emergency surgery (group A) and 132 (66%) listed for elective surgery (group B). Seven (3.5%) of the 200 patients tested positive for HIV-1 and 2 using the Well-coenzyme method. Five (2.5%) and 2 (1%) of the 200 patients confirmed HIV-positive were females and males respectively. Sixty-one percent of the 100 patients tested for hepatitis B surface antigen were males and 39 (39%) females. Eighteen percent of the 100 patients examined were positive for (HbsAg). Ten percent of the 18 HBsAg-positive patients were males and 8 (8%) were females. This study showed the prevalence rate of HIV and Hepatitis B in preoperative patients at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital and to some reflects the prevalence of HIV and HBV in the general population.