title: Prevalence of hepatitis A, B and C serological markers in children from western Mexico.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Viral hepatitis in children is a major public health problem worldwide.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the prevalence of serological markers for hepatitis A, B and C infections in Mexican children diagnosed with hepatitis during a five-year period.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 31,818 children admitted to a tertiary level hospital in Mexico from 2005 to 2009 were evaluated for hepatitis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Hepatitis was found in 215 (0.7%) of the children. Serum samples from hepatitis-positive children were screened for anti-HAV IgM, HBsAg, total anti-HBc and anti-HCV. HAV was the leading cause of viral hepatitis (81%), followed by HBV and HCV (3.1 and 2%, respectively), whereas no serological marker was observed in 13.9% of the analyzed samples. Furthermore, when children were categorized by age, a significant increase in anti-HAV detection was observed in school-aged children (7-11 years old) (p < 0.001) and a reduction in adolescents (12-15 years old).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In conclusion, hepatitis A is the most prevalent viral hepatitis infection detected in children, followed by HBV and HCV. In addition, the high percentage of hepatitis infections without a known etiological agent and the serological test limitations require the detection of occult HBV, HCV and hepatitis E infections. The age-dependent vulnerability of groups with HAV infections emphasizes the importance of HAV vaccination in young children in Mexico.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology in Medicine, Civil Hospital of Guadalajara Fray Antonio Alcalde and University of Guadalajara, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico.
authors.forename: Griselda
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Escobedo-Meléndez
authors.forename: Nora A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Fierro
authors.forename: Sonia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Roman
authors.forename: Monserrat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maldonado-González
authors.forename: Eloy
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Zepeda-Carrillo
authors.forename: Arturo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Panduro
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006506:Hepatitis A / Q000453:epidemiology; D035922:Hepatitis A Antibodies / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000453:epidemiology; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000453:epidemiology; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D006525:Hepatitis, Viral, Human / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico / Q000453:epidemiology; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D012307:Risk Factors; D012499:Sanitation; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies
chemical_list: D035922:Hepatitis A Antibodies; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies