Khalil M, Al-Mazrou Y, Al-Jeffri M, Al-Howasi M
Departments of Preventive Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Ministry of Health, Saudi Arabia.
Ann Saudi Med. 1998 Jan-Feb;18(1):18-21. doi: 10.5144/0256-4947.1998.18.
The prevalence of anti-HAV antibody in children was tested in subjects presenting at clinics in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A blood sample was taken to test for the presence of IgG (indicating past infection) and a questionnaire concerning personal and epidemiological data relating to hepatitis A was completed. In total, 592 children aged 6 months to 15 years were suitable for the analysis. There were 179 subjects who were positive for HAV (30.2%). The proportions of subjects positive for HAV varied significantly with age (P=0.001); 32%-49% in the 7-15 age range were positive compared with 13-20% aged 6 and below. There was a significant association between a positive HAV test and social level (P=0.044), with a higher proportion positive in the low social level. Children with jaundice, personal history of jaundice or travel abroad were significantly more likely to be HAV positive (P=0.001, P=0.006, P=0.021, respectively). There was also a significant association with nationality (P=0.022), where the lowest proportion of HAV positive children were Saudi Arabian (28%). Compared to previous studies, there is a significant decrease in the HAV exposure in Saudi children with shift from high to intermediate pattern. National strategy for prevention should be evaluated.
在沙特阿拉伯利雅得的诊所对前来就诊的儿童进行了抗甲型肝炎病毒（HAV）抗体流行率检测。采集血样检测IgG的存在情况（表明既往感染），并完成了一份关于甲型肝炎个人及流行病学数据的问卷。总计592名6个月至15岁的儿童适合进行分析。有179名受试者HAV呈阳性（30.2%）。HAV阳性受试者的比例随年龄有显著差异（P = 0.001）；7至15岁年龄组中32% - 49%呈阳性，而6岁及以下年龄组为13% - 20%。HAV检测呈阳性与社会阶层之间存在显著关联（P = 0.044），社会阶层较低的人群中阳性比例更高。有黄疸、个人黄疸病史或出过国的儿童HAV呈阳性的可能性显著更高（分别为P = 0.001、P = 0.006、P = 0.021）。与国籍也存在显著关联（P = 0.022），HAV阳性儿童比例最低的是沙特阿拉伯人（28%）。与之前的研究相比，沙特儿童的HAV暴露情况有显著下降，从高流行模式转变为中等流行模式。应评估国家预防策略。
