Submit Manuscript | http://medcraveonline.com Introduction Infections with hepatitis B virus (HBV) and Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) are two major public health issues in the world in general and in Benin in particular. 1 Indeed, their respective prevalences in Benin are 9.9% 2 and 74%. 3 H. pylori is a bacterium that colonizes the gastric mucosa and is responsible for gastritis, peptic ulcer disease, as well as gastric adenocarcinoma and malt lymphoma. 4 Recent studies showed that H. pylori infection is associated with the progression of diseases other than gastrointestinal diseases. This includes hematological, cardiovascular or autoimmune diseases, chronic bronchitis and coronary sclerosis, 4–6 but also liver’s diseases. 7 H. pylori DNA could be detected in liver samples from patients with chronic liver disease, suggesting that coexistence with H. pylori could worsen a patient’s condition. 8 Likewise, a case-control study, done in China by Ponzetto A et al. 9 in the 2000s, found a high prevalence (89%) of H. pylori in patients with HVB-related cirrhosis compared to 59% in studies conducted on non-cirrhotic patients. In their study on patients with different stages of liver disease, Huang et al. 4 showed that the rate of H. pylori infection increased with the progression of the liver disease. They also noted that the infection was associated with the immunopathological disorders and the immunological tolerance of the patients with liver diseases. 4 No previous study in Benin has been reported concerning HBV and H. pylori co-infection. The objective of this study is to determine the prevalence of H. pylori infection in patients with CHB and to analyze the factors associated with this co-infection. Methods Our study was a cross-sectional, descriptive and analytical study with a prospective data collection. It took place over a 4 months period, from May to August 2017, in the Hepato-gastroenterology Clinic of the National University Hospital Hubert Koutoukou Maga (CNHU-HKM) of Cotonou. We included subjects who were at least 15 years old, HBs Ag carriers, and who gave their verbal consent to participate in the study. Patients who received antibiotics less than a month prior to the inclusion date and / or a Proton Pump Inhibitor (PPI) less than 2 weeks were not included in the study. Socio-demographic data were collected through an interview with each patient, followed by stool collection. The socio-demographic features were: age, gender, area of residence, level of education, socio-economic level, number of persons living under the same roof Gastroenterol Hepatol Open Access. 2019;10(1):14‒17. 14 © 2019 Séhonou et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and build upon your work non-commercially. Helicobacter pylori infection in hepatitis B virus carriers in Cotonou: epidemiology and socio- demographic factors associated with the co- infection Volume 10 Issue 1 - 2019 Jean Séhonou, 1,2 Aboudou Raïmi Kpossou, 1,2 Jean-Paul Kanvi, 1 Comlan N’dehougbea Martin Sokpon, 1,2 Rodolph Koff Vignon, 1,2 Akuvi Claude Gildas Adossou 1 1 Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, National University Hospital Center-Hubert Koutoukou Maga (CNHU- HKM), Cotonou, Benin 2 Faculty of Health Sciences (FSS), University of Abomey-Calavi, Benin Correspondence: Aboudou Raïmi Kpossou, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, CNHU-HKM Cotonou, Benin, Tel 0022966181939, Email Received: November 02, 2018 | Published: January 22, 2019 Abstract Introduction: Infections with hepatitis B virus (HBV) and Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) are two major public health issues in the world in general, and in Benin in particular. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of H. pylori infection and the socio-demographic factors associated with the co-infection in chronic HBV carriers in Cotonou. Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive and analytical study was conducted in the hepato- gastroenterology department of the CNHU-HKM from May to August 2017. We included all patients aged 15 years or older, carriers of HBs Antigen (Ag) who were admitted in that period. Detection of H. pylori was done by looking for H. pylori Ag in their stool. Results: Among the 121 patients who were positive for HBs Ag (mean age 42.3 ± 11.6 years, sex-ratio 2.26), 70 (57.9%) were also positive for H. pylori Ag test in the stool. The level of education was often high (61%), and the socio-economic level was medium for 80 patients (66%). Most lived with more than 2 people under the same roof (an average of 3.15 people) and 54 (44.6%) were in a household of more than 4 people. No socio-demographic factor was signifcantly associated with H. pylori infection in HBs Ag carriers: whether it was their age (p = 0.18), their gender (p = 1), their educational level (p = 0.52), the number of people living under the same roof (p = 0.45) or their socio- economic level (p = 0.81). Conclusion : The prevalence of H. pylori in patients with HBs Ag is relatively high, but appears to be lower than in the general population. However, among these adults, socio- demographic factors seem to play a minor role in the occurrence of the co-infection. Keywords: Hepatitis B, Helicobacter pylori, co-infection, prevalence, associated factors Gastroenterology & Hepatology: Open Access Research Article Open Access