Seroprevalence of hepatitis B and C in Brazilian army conscripts in 2002: a cross-sectional study
Braz. j. infect. dis
; 9(5): 374-383, Oct. 2005. mapas, tab
Article
em En
| LILACS
| ID: lil-419646
Biblioteca responsável:
BR1.1
ABSTRACT
Hepatitis B and C constitute important public health problems worldwide. In Brazil, studies on prevalence of viral hepatitis have local and regional characteristics; consequently it is difficult to define the national epidemiological situation. Our objective was to evaluate the seroprevalence of hepatitis B and C in conscripts of the Brazilian Army. A transversal study among males aged 17 to 22 years was conducted nationwide. After informed consent, each volunteer filled in a social-behavioral questionnaire and had blood drawn to test for HBsAg and anti-HCV. A total of 7,372 volunteers were evaluated in the second half of 2002. The prevalence of HBsAg was 2.6 percent (95 percent confidence interval 2.2, 3.0) and that of anti-HCV was 1.5 percent (95 percent confidence interval 1.2, 1.8). A wide variation among macro regions and states in the same region was observed for both markers. In conclusion, although this population theoretically had a low risk for HBV and HCV infection, these results are higher than expected for this age range. These findings may indicate a change in the pattern of HBV and HCV transmission in Brazil. Due to the different dynamics of these epidemics, further studies are warranted to confirm these apparent trends.
Texto completo:
1
Índice:
LILACS
Assunto principal:
Hepatite C
/
Anticorpos Anti-Hepatite C
/
Doenças Endêmicas
/
Hepatite B
/
Antígenos de Superfície da Hepatite B
Tipo de estudo:
Observational_studies
/
Prevalence_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Limite:
Adolescent
/
Adult
/
Humans
/
Male
País/Região como assunto:
America do sul
/
Brasil
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Braz. j. infect. dis
Assunto da revista:
DOENCAS TRANSMISSIVEIS
Ano de publicação:
2005
Tipo de documento:
Article