Prevalence of hepatitis E virus IgG antibody in Japanese patients with hemophilia.
OBJECTIVE
We investigated the prevalence of antibody against hepatitis E virus (HEV) in Japanese patients with hemophilia.


METHODS
IgG antibody against HEV was measured in serum of 80 Japanese patients with hemophilia by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The prevalence of HEV antibody was compared with the reported prevalence of HEV antibody in Japanese patients undergoing hemodialysis and in Japanese healthy blood donors. Characteristics of patients and coinfection with other transfusion-transmissible viruses were compared in patients with and without HEV antibody.


RESULTS
Anti-HEV IgG antibody was detected in 13 of 80 patients (16.3%). The prevalence was far higher than that reported in Japanese blood donors (3.7%) and was higher than that in Japanese patients undergoing hemodialysis (9.4%). The patients with HEV antibody were significantly older than those without. HEV antibody was not detected in patients <20 years of age and in patients who had received only virus-inactivated coagulation factors. No association was observed between positivity for anti-HEV antibody and severity of hemophilia or coinfection with other parenterally transmissible viruses.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results suggest that the parenteral transmission of HEV may have occurred in Japanese patients with hemophilia via non-virus-inactivated coagulation factors.
Toyoda
Hidenori
H
Department of Gastroenterology, Ogaki Municipal Hospital, Ogaki, Japan. tkumada@he.mirai.ne.jp
Honda
Takashi
T
Hayashi
Kazuhiko
K
Katano
Yoshiaki
Y
Goto
Hidemi
H
Kumada
Takashi
T
Takahashi
Kazuaki
K
Abe
Natsumi
N
Mishiro
Shunji
S
Takamatsu
Junki
J
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006467:Hemophilia A / Q000150:complications*; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies / Q000097:blood*; D016751:Hepatitis E / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000635:transmission; D016752:Hepatitis E virus / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies
D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies; D007074:Immunoglobulin G