Seropositivity of Antibodies Against Hepatitis A Virus in Mashhad, Northeast of Iran: A Cross-Sectional Community-Based Study During 2009

Abstract

Background: Hepatitis A Virus (HAV) is the most common cause of acute viral hepatitis worldwide, mostly in developing countries.Objectives: This population-based survey was performed to investigate HAV seroprevalence in Mashhad, northeast of Iran. Patients and Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed on 1563 randomly selected individuals from general population of Mashhad, Iran, between May to September 2009. Serum samples were tested for total anti-HAV antibody using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit. Data was analyzed using SPSS ver. 18.0 by Chi-square and student t tests. Results: Seroprevalence of HAV infection was 69.6% (95% CI: 67.3-71.9%) with no difference between males and females. Anti-HAV seropositivity increased with rising age from 9.4% in subjects younger than five years to 100.0% in individuals older than 65 years old (P < 0.001). Conclusions: As it was previously reported by the World Health Organization (WHO) on HAV infection in the country, this study revealed a high prevalence of HAV infection in Mashhad city, Northeastern Iran.

Comparison of the Prevalence and Risk Factors of Hepatitis A in 10 to 18-Year-Old Adolescents of Sixteen Iranian Provinces: The CASPIAN-III Study

“…HAV seroprevalence was 86.76% in 17-year-old adolescents in the Golestan province (13), 61.6% in individuals under 20 who were referred to a hospital in Tehran (14), 79.3% in 15 to 20-year-old persons referred for pre-marriage consultations in the Fars province (9), 64.7% in 15 to 24-year-old adolescents in Mashhad in the Razavi Khorasan province (15), and 79.4% in 16 to 29-year-olds in Shiraz, the provincial city of the Fars province (8). In contrast, HAV seroprevalence was 38.9% in under 25-year-olds in Sari (center of Mazanderan province) (16), 10% in 6-20-year-olds in a population- based study in Isfahan province (17), and 3.9% in children under 15 in Kashan (in the Isfahan province) (18), which are much lower than in other reports.…”

Acute Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B Coinfection in a Young Female: A Case Report and Literature Review

“…Several diseases, such as HBV, HCV, and HIV, are also considered to be transmitted through tattooing; this is primarily due to sharing needles and other equipment and poor disinfecting. Our patient had a history of tattooing about two months before admission [ 9 – 12 ].…”

“…In some cases, anti-HBc is a positive marker in patients. This condition includes anti-HBc IgM dominant class during the window period in acute hepatitis, in cases of ended acute infection and undetected serum level of anti-HBs, and long-term chronic HBV infection with undetected HBsAg level [ 2 , 9 , 12 ].…”

“…According to most cohort studies, early initiation of highly potent antiviral therapy can prevent the development of acute liver failure, liver transplantation, chronicity, and mortality in patients. Some studies have also demonstrated the safety of prescribing tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF), entecavir (ETV), or lamivudine (LAM) for this condition [ 4 , 6 , 9 , 10 , 12 ].…”

Status of Immunity Against the Hepatitis A Virus in Healthy Population: A Report from Southeastern Iran

“…The hyperendemic pattern was reported by earlier published investigations in different provinces of Iran. A high prevalence rate of HAV infection was reported in some cities and provinces of Iran, such as 80.65% in Ahwaz (23), 79.2% in Hamedan (24), 85% in Tehran, 96% in Hormozgan, 99% in Golestan (13), 94.9% in Qazvin (25), 70% in Mashhad (26), 82% in Sari (27), 88.6% in Zabol (28), 90.8% in Shahrekord (15), and 89.5% in Yazd (29); however, HAV seroprevalence in Fars (66.2%), Esfahan (67.5%), Kermanshah (50.6%), and Zanjan (58.09%) provinces, Iran, demonstrated a lower rate of infection (24,30). Ghorbani et al reported that immunity status against HAV among Iranian military draftees in Tehran was 97.63% in 2007 (31).…”