Open AccessSeroprevalence of hepatitis A among children of different socioeconomic status in Cairo
Author(s) -
Iman I. Salama,
Sahar Samy,
F A Shaaban,
Ahmed Hassanin,
Lina Ismail
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
eastern mediterranean health journal/eastern mediterranean health journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.442
H-Index - 47
eISSN - 1687-1634
pISSN - 1020-3397
DOI - 10.26719/2007.13.6.1256
Subject(s) - seroprevalence , socioeconomic status , medicine , hepatitis a , hepatitis a virus , cross sectional study , environmental health , demography , pediatrics , hepatitis , serology , antibody , immunology , virus , population , pathology , sociology
To determine seroprevalence of anti-hepatitis A virus (HAV) antibodies and potential risk factors for and age of contracting symptomatic hepatitis A infection among children of different socioeconomic status (SES) in Cairo, we carried out a cross-sectional study on 426 children aged 3-18 years from low SES areas and 142 from high SES areas. Seroprevalence was significantly higher with age. Seropositivity to anti-HAV antibodies was significantly higher among children of low and very low SES, 90%, compared to children of high SES, 50%. Water supply and sewage disposal were the most significant risk factors for HAV seropositivity in children of low SES. Children of high SES were more likely to be vulnerable to infection in adolescence than those of low SES.