Seroprevalence and Risk Factors of Hepatitis E in Eastern Iran

Abstract

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.

The study of seroprevalence of hepatitis E virus and an investigation into the lifestyle behaviours of the aborigines in Malaysia

“…This implies that the aboriginals have a higher seroprevalence of anti‐HEV than the urban Malaysian population. Increasing prevalence of HEV with increasing age has reported in many studies across worldwide (Azarkar, Ebrahimzadeh, Sharifzadeh, Ziaee, & Fereidouni, ; Bricks et al, ; van Gageldonk‐Lafeber et al, ). However, age‐specific prevalence of HEV in Malaysia from both the previous study (Seow et al, ) as well as the current study could not be established due to small sample size.…”

Seroprevalence and Risk Factors of Hepatitis E Among Women of Reproductive Age Residing in Birjand in 2016

“…In this study, the prevalence of HEV in women residing in Birjand who were in their reproductive age was 11.7%. Having compared the results of the study with previous studies conducted in this region, it was observed that the prevalence of hepatitis E was lower in women of reproductive age than in the general population (25%) (5).…”

“…In the general population, the prevalence of hepatitis E is different across various parts of Iran. Specifically, it was 9.3% in Nahavand, 8.1% in Isfahan, 7.3% in Sari, 7.9% -15% in Tehran, and 46.1% in Ahvaz (5). In a study conducted by Jahanbakhsh et al, the prevalence of HEV was 24.37% (6).…”

“…The prevalence of HEV in the Iranian pregnant women is reported to be 3.6% -7.4% (5,(7)(8)(9)(10). Therefore, HEV is an important general health concern all over the world, especially in developing countries due to their low hygienic conditions and the lack of standard sewage systems (5,11).…”