EPIDEMIOLOGY OF HEPATITIS B VIA SEXUAL TRANSMISSION AND RELATIONSHIP WITH SOCIOECONOMIC AND PRIMARY CARE VARIABLES IN THE NORTHEAST, 2011 TO 2020

Abstract

INTRODUCTION:Hepatitis B is a silent viral infection that can be transmitted through infected body fluids, especially sexually, making Primary Care a suitable environment for investigating and preventing the disease. OBJECTIVE:To evaluate the epidemiological profile of Hepatitis B in the Northeast and relate it to socioeconomic and Primary Care factors, between the years 2011 and 2020. METHODOLOGY:This is an ecological descriptive study with indirect documentation, carrying out a data survey on the basis from DATASUS, IBGE and Atlas of Human Development in Brazil. RESULTS:Higher frequency of cases in males, with 52.55%. Higher prevalence of the disease in the 20-39 and 40-59 intervals, with black race and chronic clinical formpredominant. Bahia represented the highest rate of Hepatitis B, while Rio Grande do Norte had the lowest. The inferential analysis revealed an inversely proportional relationship with significance at the 1% level when socioeconomic and Primary Care factors were correlated with the frequency of cases. It was found that the number of cases depends on the variables age group, race and clinical form, as they present significant differences (p-value<0.001). DISCUSSION: Black people face greater risk due to socioeconomic inequalities, while sexual transmission predominates in adults because they are sexually active. States with lower HDI have more cases, reduced vulnerability. Per capita income also influences, with richer areas presenting fewer cases. Coverage of basic health care is impacted by effective health education. CONCLUSION:There is an inversely proportional relationship between socioeconomic indices/Primary Care and the frequency of Hepatitis B cases. In states where social indices were lower, the number of cases was more significant, highlighting the ineffectiveness of prevention and treatment and the importance of such measures for the population.