Case control study of risk factors for hepatitis A: Naples 1990-1991. Hepatitis Collaborating Group.
An increased incidence of hepatitis A was observed in Naples from 1990-1991. A hospital-based case-control study was carried out to evaluate the relative importance of various risk factors. A hundred and ninety-eight cases and 238 hospital controls were recruited during the study period. The strongest association was contact with a jaundiced person among children. A correlation was also shown for children and adults with raw shellfish consumption and pre-school nursery attendance or presence in the household of children attending pre-school nurseries. History of travel and intravenous drug use were risk factors for adult subjects. Considering the relative importance of the specific risk factors we found that 38% of the acute hepatitis A cases were attributable to contact with a jaundiced person, 15% to presence in the household of children attending pre-school nurseries and 28% to raw shellfish consumption.
Sagliocca
L
L
Regione Campania, Osservatorio Epidemiologico, Napoli, Italy.
Mele
A
A
Ferrigno
L
L
Palumbo
F
F
Converti
F
F
Tosti
M E
ME
Amoroso
P
P
Manzillo
G
G
D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002656:Child Day Care Centers; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006506:Hepatitis A / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D007565:Jaundice / Q000150:complications; D012307:Risk Factors; D012758:Shellfish; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous; D013997:Time Factors; D014195:Travel