title: Anti-hepatitis A virus seroprevalence and seroconversion in a cohort of patients with chronic viral hepatitis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Patients with chronic hepatitis C infected by hepatitis A virus have a substantial risk of fulminant hepatitis or death, while the course of hepatitis A virus is uncomplicated in most subjects with chronic hepatitis B.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the prevalence of anti-hepatitis A virus antibodies and the incidence of hepatitis A virus seroconversion in a nationwide sample of 530 patients with chronic hepatitis B and/or hepatitis C infection initially susceptible to this infection after a follow-up of some years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall anti-hepatitis A virus prevalence was 85.7%, with no difference between males and females. By the age of 50 years, almost all patients were found to have been exposed to hepatitis A virus. After a mean follow-up period of 76 months the overall anti-hepatitis A virus seroconversion rate in the 76 initially susceptible individuals was 1.2 per 100 person/years. However, it was 0.3 per 100 person/years in those hepatitis B surface antigen positive but 3.36 per 100 person/years in those anti-hepatitis C virus positive. None of the seroconverters was affected by a clinically evident disease or showed deterioration of underlying chronic liver disease.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present study shows that Italian patients >50 years of age with chronic liver disease have already been exposed to hepatitis A virus suggesting that anti-hepatitis A virus screening is not advisable in these subjects.
authors.affiliation: Epidemiology Laboratory, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, S Giacomo Hospital, Italy.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Stroffolini
authors.forename: P L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Almasio
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Di Stefano
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Andreone
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Di Gaetano
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fattovich
authors.forename: G B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Gaeta
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Morisco
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Smedile
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tripi
authors.forename: A L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Zignego
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ferraro
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mele
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Craxi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006506:Hepatitis A / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology; D035922:Hepatitis A Antibodies / Q000097:blood*; D017957:Hepatitis A Virus, Human / Q000276:immunology*; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies
chemical_list: D035922:Hepatitis A Antibodies