The epidemiology of hepatitis C virus antibody in Yemen

Am J Trop Med Hyg. 1992 Jan;46(1):63-8. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.1992.46.63.

Abstract

A cross-sectional survey of 348 subjects without evidence of liver disease was conducted to investigate the prevalence and risk factors for hepatitis C virus antibody (anti-HCV) seropositivity in the Yemen Arab Republic. The mean age of study subjects was 28.7 years (range 3-80), and 61% were males. Using commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA), 6.0% (95% confidence interval [CI] 3.8-9.1) of subjects were anti-HCV-positive, 13.5% were hepatitis B surface antigen-positive (HBsAg-positive), and 51.4% were positive for at least one serologic marker of prior hepatitis B infection. Nine (2.6%; 95% CI 1.2-4.9) of the 21 ELISA-positive sera were confirmed to be anti-HCV positive by a recombinant immunoblot assay. Anti-HCV seropositivity was significantly associated with age (odds ratio [OR] 2.0 for each 10-year increase in age) and prior surgery (OR 10.1), but was not associated with a history of prior blood transfusion or markers of hepatitis B infection. These preliminary data suggest that hepatitis C may pose a substantial health threat in Yemen.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
  • Female
  • Hepacivirus / immunology*
  • Hepatitis Antibodies / blood*
  • Hepatitis C / epidemiology*
  • Humans
  • Immunoblotting
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Prevalence
  • Risk Factors
  • Seroepidemiologic Studies
  • Yemen / epidemiology

Substances

  • Hepatitis Antibodies