[Knowledge of hepatitis B virus among outpatients consulting in the hepatogastroenterology department at the Lome Campus University Hospital].

GOAL: To evaluate the knowledge abouthepatitis B virus (HBV) infection of patientsconsulting in the hepatogastroenterology department.

MATERIALS/

METHODS

This prospective, descriptive, and analytic study took place over a two-month period among outpatients in this department of the Lome Campus University Hospital.

RESULTS

The study included 276 patients, predominantly male. Participants’ mean age was 36.7 years (range: 17 to 75 years). In all, 190 patients (around 68.8%) confirmed that they had heard of this disease at least once, mainly via the media or the hospital. Twenty patients (10.5%) mentioned as the main means of infection sexual intercourse, body fluids (blood), and maternalfetal transmission. Overall, 28 participants reported having been vaccinated against HBV. Of those who had ever heard of this disease, only 58 (30.5%) knew that it exists in an acute form and 69 patients (36.3%) about its chronic form. Thirty (15.8%) patients knew that cirrhosis and liver cancer are its main complications, and 68 (35.8%) were unaware that HBV treatment is available in Togo.

CONCLUSION

This study revealed that participants had a poor level of knowledge about HBV.