Chronicity rate of hepatitis B virus infection in the families of 60 hepatitis B surface antigen positive chronic carrier children: Role of horizontal transmission

Abstract

It is known that the 5%-10% of adults infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV) develop a chronic infection and that HBV infection acquired at birth by an hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)/hepatitis B "e" antigen (HBeAg)-positive mother almost invariably leads to chronic infection. Little information is, however, available about the risk of HBV infection acquired in childhood becoming chronic. We have, therefore, studied the chronicity rate of HBV infection in the families of 60 consecutive HBsAg-positive chronic carrier children. Of parents 81.5% and 78.6% of children showed serological evidence of past or ongoing HBV infection. The chronicity rate was significantly higher among children (73.4%) than parents (35.6%). Such a high chronicity rate in these children was not correlated with vertical transmission, since this was reported in only 1.7% of them. It is noteworthy that the chronicity rate of HBV infection was not significantly different between children of HBsAg-positive mothers and those in whom infection must have been horizontally transmitted because their mothers were HBsAg-negative. Although the families studied represent a selected sample and the role of genetic factors could not be excluded, our results seem to show that the most important factor in determining the outcome of infection is the acquisition of hepatitis B during childhood.

Hepatitis B Awareness among Medical Students and Their Vaccination Status at Syrian Private University

“…Sexual transmission, vertical transmission, and unsafe injections, including intravenous drug use, are the most common routes of infection for HBV [ 8 – 12 ]. Household contact and occupational health-care exposure to blood products and hemodialysis are other risk factors [ 13 – 20 ]. Health-care workers (HCWs) are reported to have the highest occupational risk for HBV infection [ 21 ].…”

Horizontal Transmission of Hepatitis B Virus in Children

“…Younger carrier children had higher prevalences of HBeAg seropositivity and higher infectivity, making them more likely sources of HBV transmission than adults (6,18). In one report, Vegnente et al also pointed out that the chronicity rate was significantly higher among children (73.4%) than adults (35.6%) in household horizontal transmission (19). Sibling-to-sibling transmission has been documented, and a substantial portion of such infections resulted in persistent HBsAg antigenemia in infected children (14,20).…”

Hepatitis B Vaccination in Blood Bank Workers.

“…Sexual transmission, vertical transmission, and unsafe injections, including intravenous drug use, are the most common routes of infection for HBV (4)(5)(6)(7)(8) .Household contact and occupational health-care exposure to blood products and hemodialysis are other risk factors . (9)(10)(11)(12)(13). Among healthcare workers seroprevalence is two to four times higher than that of the general population.…”