Hepatitis B virus infection in children in Sardinia, Italy
Tóm tắt
Possible hepatitis B immunization of all newborns, regardless of the mother's HBsAg status, is a strategy under consideration for selected hyperendemic areas in Italy. Sardinia is one such area. However, in 1987 in Sardinia, the prevalence of hepatitis B markers in children under 11 years was estimated at 1.7% and the prevalence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) at 0.2%. A much higher prevalence of HBsAg was recently observed among adults in this area: 8.7% among men and 5.2% among pregnant women. This contrasting pattern is unlikely to be due to bias: the sampling procedures adopted were appropriate and the percentage of refusals was very low (2.2%). The observed low hepatitis B marker prevalence in young age groups might be the result of a cohort effect due to the improved socio-economic conditions and changes in behaviour that have occurred in Sardinia over the last few years. The finding of only 3 HBsAg+ individuals out of 1,826 children tested, in spite of the 5.2% HBsAg prevalence among pregnant women in that region, is probably attributable to the low proportion of HBeAg positive individuals among the HBsAg+ carrier mothers in this area. At present, immunization of all newborns in Sardinia cannot be recommended.
Tài liệu tham khảo
Barin F., Perin J. and Chotard J. (1981): Crossectional and longitudinal epidemiology of hepatitis B in Senegal. - Prog. Med. Vir., 27: 148–162.
Beasley R.P., Trepo C. and Stevens C.E. (1977): The e antigen and vertical transmission of hepatitis B surface antigen. - Am. J. Epidemiol., 105: 94–98.
Beasley R.P., Hwang L.Y. and Lin C.C. (1982): Incidence of hepatitis B virus infection in preschool children in Taiwan. - J. Infect. Dis., 146: 198–204.
Beasley R.P., Hwang L.Y. and Lin C.C. (1983): Incidence of hepatitis among students at a University in Taiwan. - Am. J. Epidemiol., - 117: 213–222.
Botha J.F., Ritchie M.J.J. and Dusheiko G.M. (1984): Hepatitis B virus carrier state in black children in Ovamboland: role of perinatal and horizontal infection. - Lancet, i: 1210–1212.
Gruppo di ricerca “HBV-Sardegna” (1986): Studio epidemiologico dell'infezione da HBV e agente delta in Sardegna. - Rec. Progr. Med., 77: 401–404.
Kahn H.A. (1983): An introduction to epidemiologic methods. - Oxford University Press., 25–28.
Lilienfeld A.M. and Lilienfeld D.F. (1980): Foundations of epidemiology. - Oxford University Press., II Edition, 326–327.
Maynard J.E (1981): Hepatitis B vaccine strategies for utilization. In: P. Maupas, P. Guesry (Eds), Hepatitis B Vaccine, INSEAM Symposium no. 18. - Elsevier-North-Holland Biomedical Press., Amsterdam, 13–19.
McCollum R.W. and Zuckerman A.J. (1981): Viral hepatitis: report on a WHO informal consultation. -J. Med. Vir., 8: 1–29.
McMahon B.J., Alward W.L.M. and Hall D.B. (1985): Acute hepatitis B virus infection: relation of age to the clinical expression of disease and subsequent development of the carrier state. - J. Infect. Dis., 151: 599–603.
Papaevangelou G. (1987): The Greak national hepatitis B vaccination programme. In: “Up-date and prospects in the control of hepatitis B: vaccines and antivirals” - Padua (Italy), October 13–14.
Prince A.M., White T. and Pollock N. (1981): Epidemiology of hepatitis B infection in Liberian infants. - Infect. Immunol., 32: 675–680.
Scarpa B. (1986): Personal communication. - Rome, May.
Stevens C.E., Beasley R.P. and Tsui J. (1975): Vertical transmission of hepatitis B antigen in Taiwan. - N. Engl. J. Med., 292: 2771–774.
Stevens C.E., Neurath R.A. and Beasley R.P. (1979): HBeAg and anti-HBe detection by radioimmunoassay: correlation with vertical transmission of hepatitis B virus in Taiwan. - J. Med. Vir., 3: 237–241.
Stroffolini T., Pasquini P. and Mele A. (1988): HBsAg prevalence among pregnant women in Italy. - Public Health, 102: 329–333.
Szmuness W. and Prince A.M. (1971): The epidemiology of serum hepatitis (SH) infections: a controlled study in two closed institutions. - Am. J. Epidemiol., 94: 585–595.
Szmuness W., Prince A.M. and Dieholt G. (1973): The epidemiology of hepatitis B infections in Africa: results of a pilot survey in the Republic of Senegal. -Am. J. Epidemiol., 98: 104–110.
Szmuness W. (1975): Recent advances in the study of the epidemiology of hepatitis B. - Am. J. Pathol., 81: 629–649.
Szmuness W., Harley E.J. and Ikram H. (1978): Sociodemographic aspects of the epidemiology of hepatitis B. In: G.N. Vyas, S.N. Cohen, R. Schmid (Eds). - Viral Hepatitis, Franklin Institute Press, Philadelphia, 297–320.
Tabor E. and Gerety R.J. (1979): Hepatitis B virus infection in infants and toddless in Nigeria: the need for early intervention. - J. Pediatr., 95: 647–650.
Tanaka T., Nagai M. and Yoshihara S. (1986): Changing pattern of age specific prevalence of hepatitis B surface antigen and corresponding antibody in Japan. - Am. J. Epidemiol., 124: 368–371.
Tassopoulos N.C., Papaevangelou G.J. and SjogrenM.H. (1987): Natural history of acute hepatitis B surface antigen-positive hepatitis in Greek adults. -Gastroenterology, 92: 1844–1850.
Whittle H.C., Bradley A.K. and McLanchlan K. (1983): Hepatitis B virus infection in two Gambian villages. -Lancet, i: 1203–1206.
Zanetti A.R., Ferroni P. and Magliano E.M. (1982): Perinatal transmission of the hepatitis B virus and of the HBV-associated delta agent from mothers to offspring in Northern Italy. - J. Med. Vir., 9: 139–148.