Cent Eur J Public Health 2014, 22(Supplement):S37-S42

Association between Metabolic Syndrome and Hepatitis B Virus Infection in the Roma Population in Eastern Slovakia: a Population-Based Study

Martin Janičko¹, Gabriela Senajová¹, Sylvia Dražilová², Eduard Veselíny¹, Ján Fedačko¹, Leonard Siegfried³, Pavol Kristian⁴, Ladislav Virág⁴, Daniel Pella¹, Mária Mareková⁵, Andrea Madarasová Gecková^6,8, Peter Kalanin⁷, Peter Jarčuška¹, Monika Halánová⁹

¹ 1st Department of Internal Medicine, P. J. Šafárik University in Košice, Faculty of Medicine and L. Pasteur University Hospital, Košice, Slovakia

² Department of Internal Medicine, Poprad Hospital, Poprad, Slovakia

³ Department of Medical Microbiology, P. J. Šafárik University in Košice, Faculty of Medicine and L. Pasteur University Hospital, Košice, Slovakia

⁴ Department of Infectious Diseases, P. J. Šafárik University in Košice, Faculty of Medicine and L. Pasteur University Hospital, Košice, Slovakia

⁵ Department of Medical and Clinical Biochemistry, P. J. Šafárik University in Košice, Faculty of Medicine and L. Pasteur University Hospital, Košice, Slovakia

⁶ Health Psychology Unit, Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, P. J. Šafárik University in Košice, Košice, Slovakia

⁷ Department of Family Medicine, P. J. Šafárik University in Košice, Faculty of Medicine and L. Pasteur University Hospital, Košice, Slovakia

⁸ Olomouc University Social Health Institute, Palacký University in Olomouc, Olomouc, Czech Republic

⁹ Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, P. J. Šafárik University in Košice, Košice, Slovakia

Background: The simultaneous presence of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and metabolic syndrome (MS) in the high-risk Roma community constitutes a high risk for liver cirrhosis and potentially hepatocellular carcinoma. This study aims to explore the relationship between MS and CHB.

Methods: Data from the cross-sectional HepaMeta Study conducted in Slovakia in 2011 among Roma living in rural communities were used. Participants were tested for the presence of MS, and lipid levels - total cholesterol, high density lipoproteins (HDL), low density lipoproteins (LDL), triglycerides (TG), apolipoprotein B100, and CHB HBsAg and anti-HBc IgG were also monitored. Viral load was measured in HBsAg-positive patients.

Results: A total of 452 patients were screened; MS was diagnosed in 29.6% of patients, and 12.5% had CHB. Anti-HBc IgG antibodies were present in 52.8% of patients. CHB patients had lower levels of total cholesterol (5.45±1.21 vs. 4.71±1.23 mmol/l; p=0.035), LDL cholesterol (median 2.2 mmol/l, interquartile range 0.88 mmol/l vs. 2.5 mmol/l, interquartile range 0.9 mmol/l; p=0.01) and apolipoprotein B100 (median 0.66 mmol/l, interquartile range 0.26 mmol/l vs. 0.74 mmol/l, interquartile range 0.29 mmol/l; p=0.025). Patients diagnosed with MS had a higher HBV DNA load than patients without MS (1,728.2±14.33 IU/ml vs. 12,779.1±20.9 IU/ml; p=0.037). CHB patients with TC and apolipoprotein B100 within the reference range had a lower hepatitis B DNA (HBV DNA) load than patients with high or low values of TC or apolipoprotein B100.

Conclusion: The prevalence of chronic hepatitis B and simultaneous presence of MS was high among Roma. HBsAg-positive patients had lower levels of total and LDL cholesterol along with decreased apolipoprotein B100. The viral load of chronic hepatitis B patients with MS was higher than in patients without MS.

Keywords: metabolic syndrome, chronic hepatitis B, cholesterol, apolipoprotein B100, HBV DNA

Published: March 1, 2014  Show citation