Jung Young Kul, Kim Ju Hyun
Department of Internal Medicine, Gachon University of Medicine and Science, Inchon, Korea.
Korean J Hepatol. 2009 Dec;15(4):438-45. doi: 10.3350/kjhep.2009.15.4.438.
Acute viral hepatitis A has recently become a major public health problem in Korea, and the incidence of symptomatic hepatitis A is growing rapidly. With improvements in socioeconomic conditions and environmental hygiene, the chances of exposure to hepatitis A virus (HAV) during childhood have decreased and, in turn, the proportion of young adults with positive anti-HAV has significantly decreased. This has led to the incidence of symptomatic acute hepatitis A increasing since the late 1990s. The incidence of serious complications including fulminant hepatic failure and acute kidney injury has also showed an increasing trend. Variation of the genotype of virus isolated from recent hepatitis A patients suggests an inflow of the hepatitis virus from other countries. In this review article, we present the situation and epidemiology of hepatitis A in Korea, and recommend further investigation and policies for vaccination on a national level.
急性甲型病毒性肝炎最近已成为韩国一个主要的公共卫生问题，有症状的甲型肝炎发病率正在迅速上升。随着社会经济条件和环境卫生状况的改善，儿童时期接触甲型肝炎病毒（HAV）的机会减少，相应地，抗-HAV阳性的年轻人比例显著下降。这导致自20世纪90年代末以来，有症状的急性甲型肝炎发病率上升。包括暴发性肝衰竭和急性肾损伤在内的严重并发症的发病率也呈上升趋势。从近期甲型肝炎患者中分离出的病毒基因型的变化表明有来自其他国家的肝炎病毒流入。在这篇综述文章中，我们介绍了韩国甲型肝炎的现状和流行病学情况，并建议在国家层面进一步开展调查和制定疫苗接种政策。
