Epidemiology of acute hepatitis B in a university hospital in São Paulo, Brazil: retrospective study of two five-year periods

• Autor(a) principal: Ferraz, Maria Lucia Cardoso Gomes [UNIFESP]
• Data de Publicação: 1998
• Outros Autores: Yoradjian, Alessandra [UNIFESP], Barbieri, Andrea [UNIFESP], Figueiredo, Virginia Maria [UNIFESP], Lopes Neto, Edmundo [UNIFESP], Cruz, Cibele Nascimento [UNIFESP], Silva, Antonio Eduardo Benedito [UNIFESP]
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Institucional da UNIFESP
• Texto Completo: http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S1516-31801998000300002; http://repositorio.unifesp.br/handle/11600/618
• topic: Hepatitis; Hepatitis B; Acute hepatitis B; Epidemiology

CONTEXT: HBV infection is endemic in Brazil and acute HBV infection is still a common disease. OBJECTIVE: To analyze incidence, risk factors and evolution of acute HBV infection. SETTING: University Hospital. PATIENTS: 357 patients with acute HBV infection, comparing two periods: 1985-1989 vs. 1990-1994. RESULTS: The overall incidence declined from 50 new cases/year in 1985-89 (30% of all cases) to 25 new cases/year in 1990-94 (8% of all cases). Transmission among male homosexuals (3.9% of cases in 85-89) declined to 1.3% in 90-94 (p>0.05). Amongst health care workers (HCW) it declined from 8.2% to 2.0% (p=0.02). Conversely, heterosexual transmission increased from 4.8% to 10.1% (p=0.06). Chronification of HBV infection following the acute episode was observed in 1.7%. Fulminant hepatic failure was seen in 3.4%. However, 27.2% of patients were lost to follow-up before normalization of the biochemical tests. CONCLUSIONS: The different patterns of risk factors observed is probably related to measures for preventing AIDS and to HCW vaccination programs. Chronification following acute episodes was not a common event.