title: The prevalence of antibodies to hepatitis C virus in Hail region, Saudi Arabia.
abstract: The prevalence of subjects positive for anti-HCV antibodies was studied at Hail region Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). The study involved 8862 subjects tested for anti-HCV antibodies at King Khalid General Hospital during the years 1994-Using Elisa, a total prevalence of 5.09% positive subjects was found. The disease is shown to be mainly acquired at school age and adulthood. Unlike hepatitis B virus, vertical transmission among preschool children does not seem to have an important role in transmission of HCV virus. Egyptians had a high prevalence of 26% as compared to other expatriates. Blood donors had a prevalence of 4.3% which is higher than that reported from other regions in Saudi Arabia. Medical staff had a prevalence rate of 2.2% indicating a relatively low risk of infection. Dialysis patients had a prevalence of 6.9% which is lower than that reported from other regions in Saudi Arabia. The higher prevalence of HCV infection in Hail (which has a lower socioeconomic status) compared to those in Riyadh and Eastern province suggests the possibility of other modes of transmission.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community, Environmental and Occupational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mahaba
authors.forename: A el-K
authors.initials: Ael-K
authors.lastname: el-Tayeb
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Elbaz
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D001782:Blood Donors / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000635:transmission; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies / Q000097:blood*; D006769:Hospitals, General; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008403:Mass Screening; D008875:Middle Aged; D011159:Population Surveillance; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D006435:Renal Dialysis / Q000009:adverse effects; D012111:Residence Characteristics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012529:Saudi Arabia / Q000453:epidemiology; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors
chemical_list: D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies