Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C in large vehicle drivers in center of Iran (Yazd)

Hepatitis B and C are major health problems in many countries, especially developing areas. The frequency of hepatitis B is less than 0.8%, and chronic hepatitis C is less than 0.5% in the general population of Yazd in the center of Iran. Large vehicle drivers have some risk factors for acquiring hepatitis B and C infection. This is important because viral hepatitis complications, including cirrhosis and encephalopathy, may lead to road accidents. This study aims to determine the frequency of hepatitis B and C in large vehicle drivers.

In this cross-sectional descriptive study, 516 inter-province large vehicle drivers were tested for HBS Ag and HCV Ab in 2018. Liver function tests, physical examination, and abdominal sonography were done for all subjects with positive HBS Ag and/or anti- HCV.

Eight drivers (1.6%) had HBS Ag, and 7 cases (1.4%) had HCV Ab. There was a significant relation between hepatitis B and journey numbers in the month (P-value=0.048); when the drivers have more journeys, they are at higher risk for hepatitis B. None of the patients had cirrhosis.

The hepatitis B and C frequency among large vehicle drivers was 1.6% and 1.4%, respectively. Our findings indicate that hepatitis B and C frequency is significantly higher than in the general Iranian population (P-value=0.014 (.  Hepatitis complication such as Cirrhosis and hepatic encephalopathy cause traffic accidents. So prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of viral hepatitis are important in this group.