Hepatitis B markers in non-icteric medical patients in Malaysia.
Sera were obtained from 494 non-icteric patients admitted with illnesses other than overt hepatitis into the medical wards of the rural and urban hospitals in Malaysia. They were tested for HBsAg, HBeAg, and anti-HBs by enzyme immunoassay. The overall HBsAg carrier rate was 18.0% ranging from 9.6% in children, (10 years and under), to a maximum of 23.5% in the adolescents (11 to 20 years), the rates decreasing subsequently to 16.5% and 20.8% in the adult and middle-age groups, respectively. The Chinese (18.6%) and Malays (19.9%) had similar HBsAg carrier rates but the rate in the Indians (9.0%) was distinctly lower. Similar rates were observed in the males (16.5%) and the females (19.8%). The carrier rate was 17.1% in rural patients compared with 21.4% in the urban ones. The 'e' antigen was found in 14 of the 89 HBsAg carriers (15.7%). The overall prevalence was 14/494 (2.8%) rising sharply from childhood (2.9%) to adolescence (5.3%), subsequently declining with advancing age. The Chinese had the highest rate (6.2%) followed by the Indians (1.5%) and the Malays (1.1%). Males had a rate of 3.3% compared to the females with 2.3%. Anti-HBs was found in 33.8% of the patients, increasing steadily from childhood (18.3%) to middle-age (46.4%). The Chinese had a higher prevalence rate (41.6%) than the Indians (32.8%) and the Malays (29.3%). The rates were similar for the males (35.6%) and the females (31.5%). Rural patients (46.1%) had a higher rate than urban patients (35.7%). Both areas showed rising prevalence with increasing age.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000032:analysis; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000032:analysis; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000201:enzymology / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies / Q000032:analysis*; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000032:analysis*; D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008296:Malaysia; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012424:Rural Population; D014505:Urban Population
D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases; D000410:Alanine Transaminase