Hepatitis B virus infection in Thai children

Trop Med Int Health. 2000 Sep;5(9):633-9. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-3156.2000.00618.x.

Abstract

We studied hepatitis B virus (HBV) transmission among 7416 Thai children from 148 schools in Kamphaeng Phet province, a rural part of northern Thailand. Their age ranged from 2 to 16 years (median 9 years). Between May 1991 and June 1992, 61 of 2593 (2.4%) in the cohort of susceptible children acquired anti-HBc immunoglobulin. Forty-seven of the 148 schools had children who acquired anti-HBc. School seroconversion rates to anti-HBc varied from 0% to 23%. There was no correlation between percent of carriers in schools and percent of anti-HBc acquisition. Of the 61 children who acquired anti-HBc, eight (13%) became HBsAg carriers but only two were symptomatic, for a clinical to subclinical infection ration of 1 : 30. One of the two symptomatic children became an HBsAg carrier. Three (38%) of the eight who were persistently antigenemic developed antibody to hepatitis B virus e antigen. Males were 2.5 times (95% CI 1.4-4.3) more likely to acquire anti-HBc than females. Risk factors for acquisition of HBc in Thailand over a 9-month period were examined in a subset of 2412 susceptible children and later in a case-control study of 22 children who acquired anti-HBc and 59 age and sex-matched controls. Risks for acquiring anti-HBc were male gender and a history of bleeding gums. In comparing this study to an earlier pilot study among 9848 children from the same area in Thailand, the yearly antibody acquisition rate to anti-HBc among Thai children dropped from 5.7% in 1989 to 2.4% in 1992. A random sample of children in the pilot study showed that 16% were HBsAg positive and 27% had anti-HBc at the beginning of the study. 34% had markers for either anti-HBc or HBsAg. 12% were repeatedly positive for HBsAg a year later.

Publication types

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

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Carrier State
  • Case-Control Studies
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Disease Transmission, Infectious*
  • Female
  • Hepatitis B / epidemiology
  • Hepatitis B / transmission*
  • Hepatitis B / virology
  • Hepatitis B Antibodies / blood
  • Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / blood
  • Hepatitis B e Antigens / blood
  • Hepatitis B virus / immunology
  • Humans
  • Incidence
  • Male
  • Matched-Pair Analysis
  • Pilot Projects
  • Prevalence
  • Risk Factors
  • Rural Health
  • Sex Factors
  • Thailand / epidemiology

Substances

  • Hepatitis B Antibodies
  • Hepatitis B Surface Antigens
  • Hepatitis B e Antigens