DISTRIBUTION OF HBV GENOTYPES AMONG GEORGIAN PATIENTS OF DIFFERENT AGE GROUPS.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is one of the major healthcare problems in Georgia with a prevalence of 2.9% in the adult population. There is no published data on HBV genotype distribution among different age groups in the country. The study aims to evaluate genotype distribution in Georgian HBV-infected patients among different age groups. Data was extracted from the clinical database of Mrcheveli medical center. Genotyping was performed using INNO-LiPA methodology. Statistical analysis was done using the statistical software SPSS 23.0. The total number of patients enrolled in the study was 84, of which 52 (62.1%) were males. Participants were mostly from Tbillisi (63.2%, N=53). Even though HBV genotype D was more predominant (found in 57.1% (N=48) of study participants), than genotype A (found in 42.9% (N=36) of the study population). Age was significantly associated with genotype distribution. The majority of the participants (58.3%, N=49) were 35 years old or younger. Genotype D was predominant in 71.4% of the study participants older than 35 years old, versus 46.9% of individuals 35 or younger with genotype D (p<0.001). Genotype A, among those <35 and >= 35 was presented in 53.1% and 28.6% of cases, respectively. Our data suggests that HBV genotype D is most prevalent among older Georgian patients chronically infected with hepatitis B. More than half of younger patients (35 years old or younger) have Genotype A.