Occupational exposure to hepatitis B virus and human immunodeficiency virus: a comparative risk analysis

Health care workers have expressed concern regarding the risk of infection from patients with AIDS. Much less attention is given to the possibility of exposure to patients infected with the hepatitis B virus. This article reviews the data on the probability of exposure to HIV or hepatitis B and subsequent seroconversion, as well as the mortality and morbidity rates associated with both viruses. A decision-analytic analysis of the occupational risk for HIV and hepatitis B is also presented. This model indicates that quality-adjusted loss in life expectancy is greater after percutaneous exposure to a patient who is seropositive for the hepatitis B e antigen than after exposure to a patient with symptomatic HIV infection.