title: Age-specific prevalence of hepatitis A virus infection among teenagers in Sardinia.
abstract: In 1989, the prevalence of antibodies to hepatitis A virus (anti-HAV) in a sample of 1350 Sardinian teenagers aged 14 to 19 years was estimated by Elisa method. The overall anti-HAV prevalence was 20%; it increased from 12.3% among 14-16 year old subjects to 27.4% in subjects aged 17-19 years (P less than 0.01). A slight female preponderance was observed (22.1% versus 17.9) but no statistically significant difference was attained. Compared with the corresponding figure (71.6% of prevalence rate) observed in North Sardinia in 1980, the results of the present study show a dramatic reduction in anti-HAV prevalence among teenagers. A significant association was found with sociodemographic factors: subjects whose fathers had less than six years of schooling, had a 2.1-fold risk (C.I. 95% = 1.5-3.1) and subjects belonging to a household of 6 or more under one roof had a 1.7-fold risk (C.I. 95% = 1.2-2.3) of previous exposure to hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection. These findings indicate that exposure to HAV in Sardinia is decreasing, probably because of improvements in socio-economic conditions during recent years. However, overcrowding and short paternal education appear to be important determinants of infection.
authors.affiliation: Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Roma.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Stroffolini
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Franco
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Mura
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Uccheddu
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cauletti
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Azara
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Scarpa
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D003441:Crowding; D004522:Educational Status; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D006506:Hepatitis A / Q000453:epidemiology*; D035922:Hepatitis A Antibodies; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies / Q000097:blood*; D006507:Hepatovirus / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors
chemical_list: D035922:Hepatitis A Antibodies; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies