Short report: relative risk of hepatitis A and E among foreigners in Nepal.
Sera from two groups of patients in Nepal with acute hepatitis were examined for the presence of antibodies to the hepatitis A, B, C, and E viruses to determine the etiology of viral hepatitis. The first group consisted of 43 consecutive acute hepatitis patients presenting at a clinic for tourists and foreign residents in Kathmandu from January 1987 to June 1988. The other group consisted of 95 consecutive acute hepatitis patients admitted during the same period at a hospital used predominantly by adult Nepalese residents of Kathmandu. Hepatitis A was diagnosed in 39 (91%) of the foreign patients and in one of the 95 Nepalese patients, whereas hepatitis E was diagnosed in four of the 43 foreign patients and in 90 (95%) of the Nepalese patients. No cases of hepatitis B or C were identified in either group, nor were any cases of dual infection with the hepatitis A virus (HAV) and hepatitis E virus (HEV) identified. These results suggest that in the Kathmandu Valley, hepatitis A is the predominant form of hepatitis among foreigners, hepatitis E is the predominant form of hepatitis among adult Nepalese, and both HAV and HEV are endemic to the Kathmandu Valley.
Clayson
E T
ET
Department of Virology, U.S. Army Medical Component, Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences, Bangkok, Thailand.
Innis
B L
BL
Myint
K S
KS
Snitbhan
R
R
Vaughn
D W
DW
Shrestha
M P
MP
D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D006506:Hepatitis A / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies / Q000097:blood; D016751:Hepatitis E / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D009390:Nepal / Q000453:epidemiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D014195:Travel
D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies