title: Is acute hepatitis B still a nosocomially-acquired infection in Poland? A case-controlled study of transmission routes in a hospital sample.
abstract: The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of medically linked risk factors for acute HBV infection in the Podlasie region of North-Eastern Poland. The records of 107 adult patients and 214 age- and sex-matched controls hospitalized in the Department of Infectious Diseases, Białystok, Podlasie Region during the period 1997-2000 with the diagnosis of acute hepatitis B were reviewed. On multivariate analysis, household contact with hepatitis B [odds ratio (OR) = 18.0, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.0-165.5] and a history of injections (OR = 2.7, 95% CI 1.5-4.7) in the preceding 6 months were independently associated with acute HBV infection. In conclusion, our data indicate that despite a significant decline in the incidence of hepatitis B, injections are still involved in the spread of HBV in Poland.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine and Community Nursing, Medical Academy of Białystok, Białystok, Poland. schlabicz@poczta.onet.pl
authors.forename: Sławomir
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chlabicz
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Grzeszczuk
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Pytel
authors.forename: Danuta
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Prokopowicz
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000635:transmission*; D005260:Female; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000635:transmission*; D006761:Hospitals; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011044:Poland; D012307:Risk Factors