La infección por el virus de la hepátitis B (VHB) y C (VHC) en el Síndrome de Down y pacientes neuropsiquiátricos sin Síndrome de Down / Infection by the virus of the hepatitis B and C in the Down's syndrome and neuropsychiatric patients without Down's syndrome

La alta prevalencia de los marcadores del VHB en el síndrome de Down y la tendencia a la cronicidad de la infección se relacionaría en estos pacientes (pts) con la inmunodepresión. Con la intensión de comparar en ellos el comportamiento del VHB y VHC se realizó el presente estudio. Material y método; La serie incluye 46 pts con síndrome de Down (G.1) y 310 discapacitados mentales sin síndrome de Down (G.2) ambos internados en un instituto especializado, y 5454 dadores voluntarios de sangre (G.3). En los G.1 y G.2 se efectuaron determinaciones de HBsAg, HBeAg, antiHBE (EIE Abbott) y el ADN del VHB por hibridización del ácido nucléico. En G.3 sólo se efectuó la búsqueda de HBsAg. En todos se efectuó la determinación de anti VHB por un test EIA de 2a. generación (Abbott hepatitis C). Resultados: En el G.1 el HBsAg fue positivo en 12/42 (26%) y el HBeAg en 8/12 (67%) en G.2 25/310 enfermos fueron HBsAg positivos (8%) y el HBeAg en 2/25 (8%). Todos los pts HBeAg positivos tenían valores del ADN-VHB superiores a 25 pg/ml. Las diferencias entre G.1 y G.2 fueron significativas (p < 0.001). En G.1 4/12 pacientes (33.3%) perdieron el HBeAg durante el seguimiento de un año y 3 negativizaron el ADN-VHB. 23/25 (92%) del G.2 perdieron el HBeAg, 7/25 (28%) seroconvirtieron al antiHBs y 1 quedó sólo antiHBc positivo. La prevalencia del HBsAg en el G.3 fue de 39/5454 (0.7%). El anti VHC fue negativo en todos los pts del G.1, se detectó en 4/310 (1.29%) del G.2 y en 76/5454 del G.3 (1.39%). Conclusiones: Se confirma la alta prevalencia de marcadores de VHB en el síndrome de Down comparando con los otros dos grupos. La ausencia de marcadores para el VHC en el grupo Down debe interpretarse con cautela por el escaso número de enfermos. La prevalencia del mismo en el grupo de enfermos neuropsiquiátricos hospitalizados sin síndrome de Down es similar a la de los dadores voluntarios. El diferente comportamiento del VHB y del VHC tal vez obedezca a diferencias en los modos de transmisión del VHC o a la hipotética ausencia de mecanismos inmunodependientes en la génesis de daño hepático desencadenado por VHC

[Hepatitis B (HBV) and C (HBC) virus infections in Down's syndrome and in neuropsychiatric patients without Down's syndrome]. / La infección por el virus de la hepatitis B (VHB) y C (VHC) en el síndrome de Down y pacientes neuropsiquiátricos sin síndrome de Down.

UNLABELLED: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) markers are found with high frequency in immunocompromised individuals. In order to find out if this is also true for the hepatitis C virus (HCV), we have analyzed a group (G.1) of 46 patients (pts.) with Down syndrome, situation known to be associated with immunodepression G. 1. We compared them with a G. of 310 mentally retarded pts. without Down syndrome G. 2 and without evidence of immunological disfunction. All of them were studied for infection with HBV. All pts. in G. 1 and G. 2 were also tested for HCV. The pts. have been hospitalized in a specialized medical institution for mentally retarded on a long term basis and were followed during 1 year. Finally G 3 was composed of 5454 voluntary blood donors. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In all pts. search for HBV infection markers (anti-HBc, HBsAg, HBeAg by EIA test and HBV-DNA by nucleic acids hybridization) were performed. Search for HCV markers was done by a second generation EIA kit (Abbott Hepatitis C (rDNA) (Antigen). RESULTS: HBsAg was found to be positive in 12/46 (26%) of G. I and 25/310 (8%) of G. II (p < 0.001). HBeAg was positive in 8/12 (67%) of G. I and in 2/25 (8%) of G. II (p < 0.001). All HBeAg positive pts. had elevated values of DNA-HBV. In G. I, 4/12 (33%) pts. lost HBeAg during the observation period, one of them remained HBV-DNA positive and none become HBsAg negative.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

[Prevalence of antibody against the hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc)among hospital personnel in Buenos Aires]. / Prevalencia del anticuerpo contra el antígeno central del virus de la hepatitis B (anti-HBc) en personal hospitalario de Buenos Aires.

A group of 1,479 employees in 19 Buenos Aires hospitals were tested for antibody to hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc) to identify those who should be vaccinated against this infection. The average age of the subjects was 38.22 years; 70.86% of them were women and 85.5% were working in services where the risk of infection was high. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used, and the data were analyzed by the chi-square test. The results showed that 1,257 subjects (85.0%) did not have anti-HBc and thus were considered candidates for vaccination. The antibody was present in 222 individuals (15.0%). The prevalence of anti-HBc increased with age and with length of service, and it was greater in laboratory technicians, nurses, and those in high-risk services. These differences were statistically significant (P less than 0.01). A total of 23 carriers of hepatitis B surface antigen (AgHBs) were identified. In high-risk groups, vaccination against hepatitis B should be preceded by serological screening of susceptible individuals; the use of anti-HBc for this purpose allows carriers of AgHBs to be identified. The high prevalence of anti-HBc in laboratory technicians, nurses, and nurses' aides might justify their systematic vaccination.

HIV-1 infection in intravenous drug abusers with clinical manifestations of hepatitis in the city of Buenos Aires.

A serologic study of hepatitis and HIV infections among 99 I.V. drug abusers with hepatitis was conducted between December 1986 and September 1987. The average age of the study subjects was 21 years. Eighty-nine (90%) of the subjects were male, including four whose sexual orientation was homosexual/bisexual. Serologic tests indicated that 87 of the 99 subjects had hepatitis B virus infections, 62 acute and 25 chronic. Nine (10%) of these 87 patients were coinfected with the delta agent. Two subjects had acute cases of hepatitis A, and the 10 remaining subjects had non-A non-B hepatitis. Forty-seven of the study subjects were also found to be infected with HIV-1. The prevalence of the delta marker was surprisingly high, because Argentina has been regarded as nonendemic for the delta virus. Given the trend of increasing I.V. drug abuse in Argentina, these results presage a significant increase in the delta agent's prevalence in the immediate future.