PREVALENCE AND MANIFESTATIONS OF HEPATITIS C SEROPOSITIVITY IN CHILDREN IN AN ENDEMIC AREA
Resource
PEDIATRIC INFECTIOUS DISEASE JOURNAL v.17 n.2 pp.142-145
Journal
PEDIATRIC INFECTIOUS DISEASE JOURNAL
Journal Volume
v.17
Journal Issue
n.2
Pages
142-145
Date Issued
1998
Date
1998
Author(s)
LU, SHENG-NAN
CHEN, HUI-CHI
WU, MEI-HUEI
YU, MING-LUNG
CHUANG, WAN-LONG
LU, CHIH-FENG
CHANG, WEN-YU
CHEN, CHIEN-JEN
Abstract
Background. According to our previous studies, Paisha
Township in Penghu Islets is an endemic area for hepatitis B
virus and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and for
hepatocellular carcinoma. We conducted this study to
understand the prevalence: of anti-HCV seropositivity among
children in this area and to observe clinical manifestations
of anti-HCV-positive children, Methods. In March, 1994,
1164 (93.6%) of 1243 students from all 6 kindergartens, 9
primary schools and 3 middle schools in Paisha Township
participated in the screening for anti-HCV by enzyme
immunoassay with second generation commercial kits (Abbott
EIA 2.0). Anti-HCV tests were duplicated for the positive
sera in 2 laboratories. All anti-HCV-positive children were
followed annually for 2 years. Results. The prevalences of
children from kindergartens (ages 3 to 6 years), primary
schools (ages 7 to 12 years) and middle schools (ages 13 to
15 years) were 0% (0 of 229), 0.8% (5 of 617) and 1.9% (6 of
318), respectively. Initially the optic density (OD) values
of anti-HCV were >2.0 in 4 cases (36%), between 1.0 and 2.0
in 2 cases, and <1.0 in the other 5 cases, None had
sonographic parenchymal changes in the liver. In the 2-year
follow-up of the anti-HCV-positive subjects, type 2a HCV-RNA
persisted in 3 of 4 children with an OD of anti-HCV more
than 2.0; 2 of them had 2 elevations of alanine transaminase
values. Four of 7 children with an OD of 2.0 or less had a
decrease in OD values in the follow-up examinations, and 2
of them became anti-HCV-negative. Conclusion. Only 36% (4 of
11) of anti-HCV-positive children had an OD of >2.0.
Subjects with sequentially low OD might recover from chronic
HCV infection without detectable HCV RNA and with normal
alanine aminotransferase values.
Subjects
hepatitis C virus
epidemiology
children
SDGs
Type
journal article