Epidemiology of hepatitis B among professional male athletes in Qatar

OBJECTIVE: To assess the Hepatitis B status of sportsmen competing in Qatar and to evaluate the risk of transmission.

METHODS: In a cross-sectional study design, serological analysis was carried out on 780 sportsmen who attended the Qatar Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital, Doha Qatar, between March 2008 and February 2009 for a pre-participation screening.

RESULTS: Hepatitis B infection prevalence of 2.2% and a lack of immunity in 53.3%. Highest rates of infection were observed in non-Qatari nationals, particularly those of African origin. There was no clear trend with age and immunity level, but cycling was found to have significantly higher rates of Hepatitis B infection. There was no difference in infection rates between contact and non-contact sports.

CONCLUSION: The risk of Hepatitis B transmission in football was assessed at one transmission in 12.5 million football matches, but the high rate of non-immunity suggests that sportsmen competing in Qatar are at elevated risk of Hepatitis B infection should they be exposed. This imbalance of infection and immunity rates requires further investigation and urgent redress.