بررسي شيوع سرمي آنتي بادي بر عليه ويروس هپاتيت A در جمعيت 50-20 ساله مراجعه كننده به بيمارستان هاي امام رضا و هاشمي نژاد شهر مشهد

Seroprevalence of HAV Antibody among 20 to 50 Year-old Individuals Referring to Imam Reza& Hashemi Nejad Hospitals in Mashhad.

HAV infection is prevalent in all over the world, especially in developing countries. Vaccination and post exposure to immune prophylaxis can surely decrease the incidence. The aim of this survey was to assess the frequency of HAV antibody production among 20 to 50 year-old persons as well as finding its correlation with age and gender. The study is a cross-sectional one on the patients who have referred to the Infectious Diseases Clinics of Hashemi-Nejad and Imam Reza Hospitals in Mashhad from the year 2002 to the end of 2003. 300 patients at the age of 20 to 50 years old were selected in whom the HAV antibodies identified. They were also registered in terms of their age and gender. Using SPSS software, the data were then assessed and analyzed through a chi-square test. The average age of the participants was 30.68.09± years. 51.3% of them aged 20 to 29 years while 31.7% were 30 to 39 years old and the other 17% ranged between 40to 49 years old. 53.3% (160 persons) and 46.7% (140 persons) of the subjects were males and females, respectively .22% of them with the average age of 34.39± 7.95 years responded with positive antibody However, there was no significant difference in terms of sex (p=0.43). As a result, the frequency of positive cases was significantly dependent on age in a way that the older the subjects, the higher the rate of the prevalence (p=0.0001). HAV seroconversion in Iran or at least in Mashhad is lower than that of some developing countries. We concluded that vaccination is necessary and it may be done for the people under 30 years without screening test, but for those above 30 it is necessary after negative response to the test. Also, immunoglobulin is a wise and safe need for the people who are above 30 years old.