[Epidemiology of hepatitis A in Sardinia: prevalence of anti-HAV in a sample of junior and senior high school students].
In the developing countries, where socioeconomic and hygienic conditions are inadequate, hepatitis A is mainly a childhood infection. Improvements in environmental conditions cause a decline in the exposure to hepatitis A virus and a change in the age-distribution of the incidence. In the Sardinian population 3-11 years old a study conducted in 1987 showed that 3.8 percent of children were anti-HAV positive. In this research work we studied the anti-HAV prevalence in the population 13-20 years old. The study population consisted of all the children who attended the third year of the junior high school (13-16 years old) and the fifth year of the senior high school (17-20 years old) in 7 health districts of South-Sardinia. All schools were identified in each district. Our list consisted of 455 classes of the last year of secondary schools and of 242 classes of the last year of high schools. Our sample consisted of 20 classes of the last year of junior high schools and of 29 classes of the last year of senior high schools. We used a precoded questionnaire recording age, sex, number of households and father's years of schooling. Sera from 794 students were collected between May and June 1988 and stored at--20 degrees C. A ELISA test (ABBOTT) was used for detection of anti-HAV. The analysis has been carried out in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions. We determined the prevalence of anti-HAV according to age, sex and socioeconomic conditions. We calculated odds' ratios and their 95% confidence limits. We considered as not exposed the group in the most favourable level of exposure (father's highest educational level, lowest number of households). There is a sharp increase from an anti-HAV prevalence of 16.5 percent in students 13-16 years of age to 24.8 percent in students 17-20 years of age. As far as the persons 13-16 years of age are concerned we can recognize a significant difference between females (21.8 percent) and males (10.3 percent). In the other group of age, on the contrary, the difference is not significant.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Contu
P
P
Uccheddu
P
P
Dodero
G
G
Masia
G
G
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006506:Hepatitis A / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies / Q000032:analysis*; D006507:Hepatovirus / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors
D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies
Epidemiologia dell'epatite A in Sardegna: prevalenza di anti HAV in un campione di studenti delle scuole medie inferiori e superiori.