Devuyst O, Maesen-Collard Y
Department of Internal Medicine, Catholic University of Louvain, Bruxelles.
Acta Gastroenterol Belg. 1991 Jan-Feb;54(1):12-8.
This study describes the epidemiology of hepatitis B in a Belgian institution for mentally retarded patients. 8% of the 163 patients studied were HBs Ag carriers and 28.8% had anti-HBs. Among the HBs Ag carriers, 76.9% were HBe Ag positive. The HBs Ag carrier rate was higher in males, in patients with Down's syndrome or newcomers, and was slightly higher in patients living at parental home vs those living in the institution. A fall in the HBs Ag carrier rate was observed between the 5-14 and 15-24 age groups. A longitudinal study performed on 41 adult female patients, in the absence of any intercurrent vaccination, allowed us to determine a yearly seroconversion rate of 1.5% in this population. Data presented here confirm the risk of the institutionalized mentally retarded patients of contracting hepatitis B and becoming highly infectious HBs Ag carriers. They cast light on the various factors which have to be taken into account in this peculiar epidemiologic study and on the importance of early vaccination.
本研究描述了比利时一家智障患者机构中乙型肝炎的流行病学情况。在163名接受研究的患者中，8%为乙肝表面抗原（HBs Ag）携带者，28.8%有乙肝表面抗体（抗-HBs）。在HBs Ag携带者中，76.9%为乙肝e抗原（HBe Ag）阳性。男性、唐氏综合征患者或新入院患者中的HBs Ag携带率较高，与住在机构中的患者相比，住在父母家中的患者携带率略高。在5至14岁和15至24岁年龄组之间观察到HBs Ag携带率有所下降。对41名成年女性患者进行的一项纵向研究，在未进行任何同期疫苗接种的情况下，使我们能够确定该人群的年血清转化率为1.5%。此处呈现的数据证实了机构化智障患者感染乙型肝炎并成为高传染性HBs Ag携带者的风险。它们揭示了在这项特殊的流行病学研究中必须考虑的各种因素以及早期接种疫苗的重要性。
