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Age‐ and sex‐related study of hepatitis B virus chronic carrier state in infants from an endemic area (Senegal)
Author(s) -
Coursaget P.,
Yvonnet B.,
Chotard J.,
Vincelot P.,
Sarr M.,
Diouf C.,
Chiron J. P.,
DiopMar I.
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
journal of medical virology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.782
H-Index - 121
eISSN - 1096-9071
pISSN - 0146-6615
DOI - 10.1002/jmv.1890220102
Subject(s) - carriage , hbsag , medicine , hepatitis b virus , virus , vaccination , chronic hepatitis , virology , hepatitis b , chronic infection , immunology , pediatrics , pathology , immune system
This report concerns hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections observed in 155 infants from Senegal. studied with a view to determining the factors involved in development of the chronic carrier state. A chronic carrier state was observed in 50.3% of the infants. This study confirms that the risk of chronic carriage is linked to age. This risk declines very rapidly with age, falling from 82% in infants under 6 months old, to 15% in children between the ages of 2 and 3 years. Spontaneous elimination of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) is uncommon in HBsAg carriers during childhood. The difference observed in chronic carriage between males and females is due to a difference in susceptibility of the two sexes to the development of the chronic carrier state: HBV infections (before 2 years of age) lead to a chronic carriage in 77% of males as against 50% of females. These conclusions are important in view of the immunisation programs being carried out against hepatitis B virus in endemic areas. For a maximum efficacy, vaccination must be carried out at birth, or shortly afterwards.