Hepatitis C: a sleeping giant?
Article Abstract:
Hepatitis is a viral disease that causes inflammation and tissue damage in the liver. It produces symptoms of fever, nausea and vomiting. There are several different viruses that can cause hepatitis. Hepatitis A is called infectious or epidemic hepatitis, and hepatitis B is called serum or transfusion hepatitis. Non-A, non-B hepatitis (so-called because it is a different virus from either type A or B) is the most common type of hepatitis that occurs following blood transfusions. It is estimated that 170,000 cases of non-A, non-B hepatitis occur each year in the United States, and half of these cases result in chronic liver disease. Intravenous drug users, health care workers exposed to blood from infected patients, and patients receiving blood transfusions have the greatest risk for developing non-A, non-B hepatitis. While having multiple sex partners is a risk factor for acquiring hepatitis B, sexual activity does not appear to play an important role in the transmission of non-A, non-B hepatitis. Recent studies have shown that the majority of blood transfusion recipients who develop non-A, non-B hepatitis are actually infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV). Some studies have reported high rates of HCV among drug users, but the risk of transmitting HCV through sexual contact or from mother to fetus remains unclear. Current diagnostic tests for HCV measure the amount of antibody against HCV in the blood. They cannot distinguish between acute and chronic HCV infections, nor can they tell whether the patient is currently infected or had an infection in the past. Future research should focus on developing new diagnostic tests, identifying routes of virus transmission, and developing methods for preventing HCV infections. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)
Publication Name: American Journal of Medicine
Subject: Health care industry
ISSN: 0002-9343
Year: 1991
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Hepatitis B infection in the United States: recent trends and future strategies for control
Article Abstract:
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) accounts for 45 percent of the viral hepatitis reported in the United States. It is estimated that 300,000 infections occur each year, up from 200,000 in the early 1980s. This increase has occurred despite the availability of a hepatitis vaccine since 1982. Although male homosexuality remains a major risk factor for HBV infection, it is no longer the largest single factor. Although homosexual men have been encouraged to seek HBV vaccination, the observed decline is attributed to behavioral changes resulting from the AIDS epidemic. Intravenous drug users represent a serious public health threat, since they are a difficult group to reach with control measures. About 60 to 90 percent of intravenous drug users have been infected by the time they come to the attention of health care officials. The risk among health care workers is dropping, which is believed to be due to a 30 to 40 percent vaccination rate among these people. Health care workers are, therefore, the first risk group in which vaccination is having a measurable effect. Because of the difficulty dealing with a variety of adult risk groups, the immunization of children seems to be the method of choice for the complete eradication of HBV. Effective vaccination procedures in children would not, however, result in a measurable decline in HBV infections for two decades. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)
Publication Name: American Journal of Medicine
Subject: Health care industry
ISSN: 0002-9343
Year: 1989
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Seroepidemiology of hepatitis B virus infection in the United States: 1976 to 1980
Article Abstract:
From 1976 to 1980, the National Center for Health Statistics examined 20,322 people from a total representative sample of 27,802. Of these, sufficient volume of blood was obtained to measure hepatitis B markers in 14,488. Various risk factors were determined from the patient histories of those testing positive. The prevalence of hepatitis B infection in the white population was 3.2 percent, whereas it was 13.7 percent among blacks. Other significant risk factors included being male, living in the Northeast, South, or West, and living in a city of population greater than 250,000. Also included in the risk factors were service in the armed forces, living below poverty level, and testing positive for syphilis. Many of these risk factors are related to behavioral risk factors such as male homosexuality, intravenous drug use, and criminal behavior resulting in imprisonment. However, many potential vaccine recipients will deny belonging to one of these risk groups. The authors recommend, therefore, that vaccines be made available to all persons at risk based on the epidemiology rather than on the basis of self-reported high-risk behaviors. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)
Publication Name: American Journal of Medicine
Subject: Health care industry
ISSN: 0002-9343
Year: 1989
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