Epidemiological study of occupational exposure to hepatitis B virus and liver function tests.
A total of 1020 hospital employees were divided into an exposure group (n = 725) and a non-exposure group (n = 295), based on whether they had been exposed to blood from patients. The HBsAg-positive rates for the exposure and the non-exposure groups were 2.48% and 1.02%, respectively. In the exposure group, the minimal exposure rate increased with age from the twenties. The odds ratios were 7.39 in the technicians, 4.38 in physicians and 1.32 in nurses. Using age-sex matched pairs from the exposure and non-exposure groups, comparison of aspartate aminotransferase, alanine amino-transferase and guanase activities showed that there were significantly higher values in HBsAg-positive subjects (n = 18) from the exposure group than in HBsAg- and HBsAb-negative subjects from the non-exposure group (p less than 0.05-0.01). However, no significant differences were found in the enzyme activities in the matched pairs (n = 89) of HBsAb-positive subjects from the exposure and non-exposure groups.
Fukumoto
K
K
Osaka Prefectural Institute of Occupational Health, Japan.
Nishikawa
Y
Y
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000097:blood; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D005260:Female; D006148:Guanine Deaminase / Q000097:blood; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies / Q000032:analysis; D006511:Hepatitis B Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008111:Liver Function Tests; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009786:Occupational Health Services; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D013997:Time Factors
D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies; D006511:Hepatitis B Antigens; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases; D000410:Alanine Transaminase; D006148:Guanine Deaminase