Original Article Section: Medicine Prevalence of Hepatitis B in Alcoholic Liver Disease

ABSTRACT Background: Alcohol intake is most widely used social drink worldwide. Chemically it is ethyl alcohol which is produced by fermentation. Habitual and regular intake of alcohol causes damage to every system of our body and is associated with HBV, HCV and other viral infections. Methods: In this study involving 194 patients of ALD, we found HBsAg was positive in 4.6% of patients of ALD. Most of the cases had developed cirrhosis and its complications. Results: Of all HBsAg positive patients, 44.4% presented with gastrointestinal bleeding and 44.4% with hepatic encephalopathy. The mean value of SGOT and SGPT were significantly higher in HBsAg positive patients as compared to HBsAg negative patients. Conclusion: The study concluded that alcoholics are more prone to infection with Hepatitis B as compared to non alcoholics and are more prone to develop cirrhosis and its complications