Seroprevalence of hepatitis B and C in Brazilian army conscripts in 2002: a cross-sectional study



Título del documento: Seroprevalence of hepatitis B and C in Brazilian army conscripts in 2002: a cross-sectional study
Revista: The brazilian journal of infectious diseases
Base de datos: PERIÓDICA
Número de sistema: 000290893
ISSN: 1413-8670
Autores: 1
2
3

4
5
Instituciones: 1Universidade de Alfenas, Faculdade de Medicina, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais. Brasil
2Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Faculdade de Medicina, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais. Brasil
3Agencia Nacional de Vigilancia Sanitaria, Brasilia, Distrito Federal. Brasil
4Fundacao HEMOPE, Recife, Pernambuco. Brasil
5Instituto de Biologia do Exercito, Rio de Janeiro. Brasil
Año:
Periodo: Oct
Volumen: 9
Número: 5
Paginación: 374-383
País: Brasil
Idioma: Inglés
Tipo de documento: Artículo
Enfoque: Caso clínico
Resumen en inglés Hepatitis B and C constitute important public health problems worldwide. In Brazil, studies on prevalence of viral hepatitis have local and regional characteristics; consequently it is difficult to define the national epidemiological situation. Our objective was to evaluate the seroprevalence of hepatitis B and C in conscripts of the Brazilian Army. A transversal study among males aged 17 to 22 years was conducted nationwide. After informed consent, each volunteer filled in a social-behavioral questionnaire and had blood drawn to test for HBsAg and anti-HCV. A total of 7,372 volunteers were evaluated in the second half of 2002. The prevalence of HBsAg was 2.6% (95% confidence interval: 2.2, 3.0) and that of anti-HCV was 1.5% (95% confidence interval: 1.2, 1.8). A wide variation among macro regions and states in the same region was observed for both markers. In conclusion, although this population theoretically had a low risk for HBV and HCV infection, these results are higher than expected for this age range. These findings may indicate a change in the pattern of HBV and HCV transmission in Brazil. Due to the different dynamics of these epidemics, further studies are warranted to confirm these apparent trends
Disciplinas: Medicina
Palabras clave: Gastroenterología,
Salud pública,
Inmunología,
Hepatitis,
Seroepidemiología,
Prevalencia
Keyword: Medicine,
Gastroenterology,
Public health,
Viral hepatitis,
Seroepidemiology,
Prevalence,
Immunology
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