Comparative Clinical, Demographic, and Cardiometabolic Profile of Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C Patients in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: A Cross- Sectional Study

Abstract Background and Objectives Pakistan is disproportionately affected by HBV and HCV, which continue to be important causes of chronic liver disease. Although there is little evidence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, worldwide data indicates that infected individuals have different cardiometabolic and demographic characteristics. This study identified independent predictors of hepatitis type by comparing the demographic, cardiometabolic, and clinical characteristics of individuals with HBV and HCV. Methodology This comparative cross-sectional study included 549 laboratory-confirmed patients (249 HBV-positive, 300 HCV-positive) recruited from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Demographic, anthropometric, cardiometabolic, vaccination, and symptom data were extracted from clinical records; hypertension was defined using the 2017 ACC/AHA threshold, and presenting symptoms were grouped into seven clinical domains. Normality was assessed using the Shapiro-Wilk test; as continuous variables were non-normally distributed, between-group comparisons used the Mann-Whitney U test, while categorical variables were compared using the Pearson Chi-square test with Cramér's V as effect size. Multivariable binary logistic regression was performed to identify factors independently associated with hepatitis type, with model fit assessed via the Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test and Nagelkerke R². Results HBV patients were significantly older than HCV patients (41.03±10.61 vs. 36.64±10.35 years, p<0.001) with higher systolic blood pressure (p<0.001). Hypertension was more prevalent in HCV patients (96.7% vs. 86.7%, p<0.001), while diabetes was more prevalent in HBV patients (51.4% vs. 36.3%, p<0.001) on bivariate analysis. Sex, BMI, vaccination history, and symptom domain distribution did not differ significantly. On multivariable adjustment, hypertension (adjusted OR=0.180, p<0.001), age (adjusted OR=0.966, p=0.003), and BMI (adjusted OR=1.079, p=0.004) remained independently associated with hepatitis type, while diabetes lost significance (p=0.064), indicating confounding. Conclusion HBV and HCV patients exhibit distinct cardiometabolic risk profiles despite comparable symptom presentation. Hypertension emerged as the strongest independent correlate of hepatitis type, underscoring the value of adjusted analysis in hepatitis comorbidity research.