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Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a major global health problem. Although sub-Saharan Africa has a high proportion of the global burden of HBV, the epidemiology and clinical features of HBV in this region are poorly characterized, and access to diagnostic and treatment services remain limited.Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of HBV-infected children and adults of all age groups who were evaluated at public and private health facilities in Freetown, Sierra Leone between January 2017 and January 2019. We assessed their clinical presentation, HBV sero-markers, stages of liver disease, prevalence of cirrhosis by non-invasive tools, and the proportion of treatment eligible patients using the criteria recommended by the World Health Organization's 2015 treatment guidelines for HBV. Logistic regression was used to identify predictors of liver cirrhosis.Results: 163 HBV patients included in the study, with mean age 32.6 years and 65.0% (106) being males. Most (84.0%) were asymptomatic at presentation. The majority (69.9%) were classified as having HBeAg-negative chronic infection (or inactive HBsAg carrier phase), 24.5% were in the HBeAg-negative immune active phase, 3.1% had HBeAg positive hepatitis, and 2.5% were HBsAg negative. The median Aspartate aminotransferase to Platelet Ratio (APRI) and Fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) scores were 0.37 and 0.80, respectively. The prevalence of cirrhosis was 7.6% and 6.2%, estimated by the APRI and FIB-4 scores, respectively. About 20.0% of patients were eligible for treatment with antiviral agents. Based on APRI scores, the presence of any symptom [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 20.0, 95% confidence interval (CI) (4.1-85.9); p < 0.001], elevated direct bilirubin [aOR 12.1, 95% CI (1.9-63.0); p = 0.003], and elevated total bilirubin [aOR 16.1, 95% CI (3.2-80.8); p = 0.001] were independent predictors of cirrhosis.Conclusion: Although most patients with HBV infection were asymptomatic, the prevalence of liver cirrhosis and proportion of patients requiring antiviral treatment were substantial. This small study from a hyperendemic setting in Sierra Leone suggests that routine population-based screening may increase early detection and linkage of HBV patients to care before development of complications. Larger studies are needed to confirm our findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Sierra Leone is a high tuberculosis (TB) burden country, yet studies on the TB epidemic in this country are lacking. • Poor treatment outcomes were observed, characterized by high TB/HIV prevalence at the national referral treatment center in 2017. • HIV-positive status and age 65 years or older independently predicted death. • More action is warranted to improve TB care as the country intensifies efforts to achieve the 2035 global TB elimination goals. To assess the diagnosis, treatment outcomes, and predictors of mortality in adult tuberculosis (TB) patients in an urban setting with a high HIV prevalence. A retrospective study was conducted of adult TB patients aged ≥15 years who were treated at Connaught Hospital in Freetown, Sierra Leone from January through December 2017. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify predictors of mortality. Of 1127 TB cases notified in 2017, 1105 (98%) were tested for HIV, yielding a TB/HIV co-infection rate of 32.0%. Only HIV-tested cases (n = 1105) were included in the final analysis. The majority were male (69.3%), aged 25–34 years (29.2%), and had pulmonary TB (96.3%). Treatment outcomes were as follows: 29.0% cured, 29.0% completed, 0.5% treatment failure, 24.2% lost to follow-up, 12.8% transferred/not evaluated, and 4.5% died. The majority of deaths (80.0%, 40/50) occurred within 2 months of TB treatment initiation. Age 65 years or older (adjusted odds ratio 3.48, 95% confidence interval 1.15–10.56; p = 0.027) and HIV-positive status (adjusted odds ratio 3.50, 95% confidence interval 1.72–7.12; p = 0.001) were independent predictors of mortality. Suboptimal TB treatment outcomes were observed in Sierra Leone in 2017. More local and international action is warranted to help achieve the 2035 global TB elimination targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our study aimed to assess antibiotic use in adult inpatients in the context of limited laboratory services at the main tertiary hospital in Sierra Leone. A cross-sectional study of consecutive adult inpatients (≥18 years) between October 2017 and February 2018 at Connaught Hospital in Freetown. A total of 920 patients were interviewed, of which 753 (81.8%) had at least one antibiotic. Complete data was captured for 688 (91.0%) patients. The median age was 41 years and 52.8% were male. Fever was reported in 41.5% of patients, though 85.1% had no leukocyte count prior to antibiotic use and none had a bacterial culture. Indications for prescribing were surgical prophylaxis (15.7%), pneumonia (15.1%), and trauma (5.8%). Cephalosporins (25.9%), penicillins (23.2%), and imidazoles (20.8%) were commonly prescribed. We found high rates of antibiotic use, of which most was not based on laboratory evidence. Lack of oversight and microbiological support are drivers of poor prescribing in many developing countries, which lack financial resources and serve a sicker population. Greater investments are needed to establish antimicrobial stewardship programs and provide clinicians with diagnostic support to enable improvements in patient outcomes and curb the spread of antibiotic resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]