Abstract:

Objective: To evaluate the epidemiological characteristics of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) in rheumatic patients treated with biological and targeted synthetic disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs). Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out between September 2021 and April 2022 at the Rheumatology Outpatient Clinic of Erciyes University Faculty of Medicine, and it included 200 patients [113 with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA), 18 with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and 69 with rheumatoid arthritis (RA)]. The demographic and clinical characteristics, treatment details and viral hepatitis serology of the patients were recorded. Those not receiving biological and/or targeted synthetic DMARDs (b/tsDMARDs) were excluded. Results: The median age of the patients was 47 (39-58) years, and the median disease duration was 10 (7-15) years. 117 (58.5%) of the patients were female, and 83 (41.5%) were male. The median duration of treatment with b/tsDMARDs was 6 (2-9) years. In the viral serological examinations, 1.5% of the patients were positive for HBsAg, 64.5% for anti-HBs, 23.5% for anti-HBc IgG, and 0.5% for anti-HCV. The anti-HBc IgG positivity rate was significantly higher in RA (34.8%) than axSpA patients (16.8%) and was similar to PsA patients (22.2%) (p = 0.023). Yet HBsAg, anti-HBs, and anti-HCV serologies were similar across patient subgroups (p > 0.05). A total of 44 (22%) patients were undergoing oral antiviral prophylaxis. Three (1.5%) patients who were anti-HBc positive and HBV DNA negative were followed without antiviral treatment. There was no viral reactivation in any patient. Conclusion: Approximately one in four patients in our cohort showed anti-Hbc positivity, and almost all of them were using antiviral prophylaxis. Anti-HCV prevalence was much lower. Studies addressing viral hepatitis in rheumatic patients and/or patient subgroups, both at the national and local level, will enable rheumatologists to be more effective in managing HBV and HCV.

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