Unraveling Demographic Patterns in Hepatitis B Clinical and Laboratory Profiles: Insights From a Ghanaian Cohort: A Retrospective Study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

The influence of age and gender on the manifestations of Hepatitis B (HB) disease is underexplored and yields varied findings. This study assessed the impact of age and gender on HB disease manifestations in a Ghanaian population.

METHODS

This retrospective study evaluated 569 patients at Tamale Teaching Hospital. Disease manifestations were compared separately between male and female patients across different age groups and among four distinct age groups within male and female patients.

RESULTS

It revealed a male-to-female ratio of 5.1:1, with significant differences observed among age categories. HBsAg was significantly more prevalent in adult males ( < 0.05), while polydipsia showed equal prevalence between genders ( < 0.05). Female adults exhibited higher rates of constipation and palpitation compared to males ( < 0.05). In older patients, females had higher ALT and HBeAg prevalence than males ( < 0.05). Disease manifestation did not significantly differ by gender among children and younger patients ( > 0.05). Among males, viral load differed significantly across age groups and correlated positively with age ( < 0.05). Females showed positive correlations of jaundice, HBeAg, low globulin, and high AST with age ( < 0.05), but nausea was negatively correlated ( < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

This study highlights unique clinical and laboratory features in reproductive-aged female HB patients.