Prevalence and risk factors of Hepatitis A in children in Tabriz, Iran

Introduction: Hepatitis A is the most common viral hepatitis during childhood especially in developing countries. It is, usually, self-limiting, but may be associated with severe complications in some patients particularly those with comorbidities. This study was aimed to determine the seroprevalence of hepatitis A in 2-16 years old children in Tabriz, Iran. Methods: The study was a cross-sectional survey on all children who were referred to the clinic of Tabriz children hospital. For every subject, demographic data, including age, sex, method of sewage and waste disposal/type of water supply, history of blood transfusion and parent’s addiction were recorded. Immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies against hepatitis A virus (anti-HAV) were measured in sera by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The association between seropositivity and demographic characteristics was studied. Results: This cross-sectional study was performed on 252 children aged 2-16 years in Tabriz city during 2012. Totally, 32.9% of children were seropositive for IgG antibody (anti-HAV) There was a significant difference in the history of blood product transfusion between two groups (P = 0.001). A total of 3% of case-patients had poor type of water supply. The discrepancy between two groups was statistically significant (P = 0.040). There was no significant statistic correlation in seroprevalence of hepatitis A relative to parent’s addiction (P = 0.480), age (P = 0.650) and sex (P = 0.890). Conclusion: According to this study, hepatitis A is prevalent in the pediatric population, and it must be considered in the approach to all susceptible cases of acute hepatitis. Considering the difficulties for the control of environmental sources, we need to have a protocol for routine vaccination of children in our country.