To vaccinate or not: hepatitis a seroprevalence in institutionalized patients with intellectual disability.

AIM

Our goal was to assess the need for vaccination and preventive measures in this vulnerable population.

BACKGROUND

HAV is the most common form of acute viral hepatitis, transmitted primarily via fecal-oral route. Therefore, poor hygiene and close contact among institutionalized people are associated with higher HAV infection prevalence. We sought to determine the seroprevalence of anti-HAV antibodies among institutionalized individuals with intellectual impairments in light of Iran's falling trend in HAV antibody prevalence.

METHODS

In this cross-sectional study, we evaluated the seroprevalence of total and IgM anti-HAV antibodies of 254 institutionalized people with intellectual disabilities. Total and IgM anti-HAV antibodies of the blood samples of these people were determined by ELISA method.

RESULTS

The seroprevalence of total and IgM anti-HAV antibodies among institutionalized people with intellectual disability were 15.4% and 0.4% respectively. In comparison to other institutionalized patients, individuals who were elderly and had spent more time in the institutions exhibited a higher prevalence of anti-HAV antibodies (p-values= 0.011 and <0.001, for example).

CONCLUSION

Based on our study, intellectually disabled people have a low prevalence of anti-HAV antibodies, which increases with age and the duration of institutionalization. Therefore, vaccination is necessary to prevent serious infection in these people.