AIM： To determine the seroprevalence of Hepatitis A （HAV） amongst Saudi children and compare it with previously reported prevalence data from the same population. METHODS： A total of 1357 students were randomly se...AIM： To determine the seroprevalence of Hepatitis A （HAV） amongst Saudi children and compare it with previously reported prevalence data from the same population. METHODS： A total of 1357 students were randomly selected between the ages of 16 and 18 years （689 males and 668 females） from three different regions of Saudi Arabia （Madinah, AI-Qaseem, and Aseer） and tested for anti-HAV-IgG.RESULTS： The overall prevalence of anti-HAV-IgG among the study population was 18.6%. There was no difference between males and females but there was a significant difference in the seroprevalence （P = 0.0001） between the three different regions, with Madinah region showing the highest prevalence （27.4%）. When classified according to socioeconomic status, lower class students had a prevalence of 36.6%, lower middle class 16.6%, upper middle class 9.6%, and upper class 5.9% （P = 0.0001）. Comparing the current study results with those of previous studies in 1989 and 1997 involving the same population, there was a marked reduction in the overall prevalence of HAV from 52% in 1989, to 25% in 1997, to 18.6% in 2008 （P 〈 0.0001）.CONCLUSION： Over the last 18 years, there has been a marked decline in the prevalence of HAV in Saudi children and adolescents. The current low prevalence rates call for strict adherence to vaccination policies in high-risk patients and raises the question of a universal HAV vaccination program.展开更多
基金Supported by Grant Number 113-27-AT ON6/6/2007 from King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
文摘AIM： To determine the seroprevalence of Hepatitis A （HAV） amongst Saudi children and compare it with previously reported prevalence data from the same population. METHODS： A total of 1357 students were randomly selected between the ages of 16 and 18 years （689 males and 668 females） from three different regions of Saudi Arabia （Madinah, AI-Qaseem, and Aseer） and tested for anti-HAV-IgG.RESULTS： The overall prevalence of anti-HAV-IgG among the study population was 18.6%. There was no difference between males and females but there was a significant difference in the seroprevalence （P = 0.0001） between the three different regions, with Madinah region showing the highest prevalence （27.4%）. When classified according to socioeconomic status, lower class students had a prevalence of 36.6%, lower middle class 16.6%, upper middle class 9.6%, and upper class 5.9% （P = 0.0001）. Comparing the current study results with those of previous studies in 1989 and 1997 involving the same population, there was a marked reduction in the overall prevalence of HAV from 52% in 1989, to 25% in 1997, to 18.6% in 2008 （P 〈 0.0001）.CONCLUSION： Over the last 18 years, there has been a marked decline in the prevalence of HAV in Saudi children and adolescents. The current low prevalence rates call for strict adherence to vaccination policies in high-risk patients and raises the question of a universal HAV vaccination program.
