Seroprevalence and Risk Factors of Hepatitis E in Eastern Iran

Background: Hepatitis E infection is one of the most common causes of acute hepatitis. It is caused by the RNA virus of the hepatomegaly viridae family, which is transferred through stool in contaminated water. Cases of infection are most prevalent in developing countries. Objectives: This study was conducted to investigate the seroprevalence of hepatitis E among urban adults. The reason was the current lack of information on the hepatitis E prevalence among the general population in the city of Birjand in eastern Iran. This information is necessary because Southern Khorasan is in close proximity to Afghanistan. Methods: In this cross sectional study, 522 participants aged over 17 years were selected from the city of Birjand, eastern Iran, using the random cluster sampling. The participants completed a researcher-made questionnaire that included demographic characteristics, risk factors for infectious diseases such as records of blood transfusions, specific exposures, intravenous drug abuse, recent diagnosis or a history of liver disease, and other medical information. After selection, a blood sample was taken from each participant to a volume of 5 cc. Each blood sample was then measured for the title of IgG antivirus of hepatitis E by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method using the third generation ELISA kit made by Delavara Company. Results: This study included 554 participants. The mean age of the participants was 41.414.3 years (age range, 17 - 72 years). From a total of 554 participants, 295 (53.2%) were females and the remainder were males. Results showed that the hepatitis E antibody title was positive in 139 (25.1%) participants and negative in the others. Comparison of the prevalence rates of positive HEV between men andwomenshowed no statistically significant difference although it was significantly higher in married participants than in single ones (P < 0.001). Results also showed that the prevalence was less in participants with a tertiary education compared to those with a lower level education. Along with age, the prevalence of the positive antibody title increased significantly. The prevalence of HEV in participants who were smokers was significantly (P < 0.001) lower than in those who were nonsmokers. Conclusions: In this study, the seroprevalence of contact with HEV in urban adults in the city of Birjand was 25%. The results of this study showed that the prevalence of hepatitis E in the city of Birjand, eastern Iran, was higher than in other places compared with previous studies on communities in Iran. Also, the prevalence of HEV in single and educated people was significantly less than that in married and literate individuals.