The epidemiology of hepatitis C virus antibody in Yemen.
A cross-sectional survey of 348 subjects without evidence of liver disease was conducted to investigate the prevalence and risk factors for hepatitis C virus antibody (anti-HCV) seropositivity in the Yemen Arab Republic. The mean age of study subjects was 28.7 years (range 3-80), and 61% were males. Using commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA), 6.0% (95% confidence interval [CI] 3.8-9.1) of subjects were anti-HCV-positive, 13.5% were hepatitis B surface antigen-positive (HBsAg-positive), and 51.4% were positive for at least one serologic marker of prior hepatitis B infection. Nine (2.6%; 95% CI 1.2-4.9) of the 21 ELISA-positive sera were confirmed to be anti-HCV positive by a recombinant immunoblot assay. Anti-HCV seropositivity was significantly associated with age (odds ratio [OR] 2.0 for each 10-year increase in age) and prior surgery (OR 10.1), but was not associated with a history of prior blood transfusion or markers of hepatitis B infection. These preliminary data suggest that hepatitis C may pose a substantial health threat in Yemen.
Scott
D A
DA
US Naval Medical Research Unit No. 3, Cairo, Egypt.
Constantine
N T
NT
Callahan
J
J
Burans
J P
JP
Olson
J G
JG
al-Fadeel
M
M
al-Ozieb
H
H
Arunkumer
H
H
Hyams
K C
KC
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000276:immunology*; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies / Q000097:blood*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D015151:Immunoblotting; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D015006:Yemen / Q000453:epidemiology
D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies