Hepatitis B and D burden in Uzbekistan: comprehensive analysis of seroprevalence and risk correlates from a countrywide study
Infectious Diseases of Poverty·
- DOI
- 10.1186/s40249-026-01487-w
- PMID
- —
- PMCID
- —
- OpenAlex
- W7203581286
- Study type
- Cross-sectional study
- Publisher
- Springer Science and Business Media LLC
- Article type
- journal-article
- Integrity
- current
Why this research matters now
The persistent infection rates and localized disease clusters indicate a need for region-specific control strategies and expanded vaccination coverage for older cohorts. Identifying household contact practices as a transmission driver offers a practical avenue for community-based prevention initiatives.
Structured evidence summary
Research question
What is the geographic distribution of hepatitis B and D virus infections among adults in Uzbekistan, and which demographic or behavioral factors are associated with these infections?
Study design
A nationwide cross-sectional survey utilizing stratified random sampling to assess serological markers and viral RNA across multiple administrative regions.
Population and setting
The analysis included over ten thousand adults recruited from seven distinct regions throughout Uzbekistan between mid-2022 and mid-2024.
Main findings
Chronic hepatitis B surface antigen carriage affected approximately 4.7 percent of participants, with significant regional variation observed. Among those with active hepatitis B, roughly one in eight carried hepatitis D, and viral load detection varied widely by location. Behavioral factors such as sharing personal care products were uniquely linked to hepatitis D, while female sex correlated with reduced chronic hepatitis B carriage rates.
Public-health relevance
The persistent infection rates and localized disease clusters indicate a need for region-specific control strategies and expanded vaccination coverage for older cohorts. Identifying household contact practices as a transmission driver offers a practical avenue for community-based prevention initiatives.
Important limitations
The cross-sectional methodology restricts temporal sequencing, preventing definitive conclusions about whether identified behaviors preceded infection onset.
GIDS interpretation
This report establishes a reference dataset for viral co-circulation patterns that could assist future literature searches or systematic reviews focusing on Central Asian hepatotropic infections. Documented regional disparities and household contact correlations may serve as contextual anchors when evaluating emerging diagnostic panels or historical outbreak archives.
Related GIDS surveillance
Literature context does not validate, explain, or change a surveillance signal. Exact and contextual relationships are shown separately.
Evidence relationships
This article has 9 auditable classifier relationships to diseases, places, topics, and study design.