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The 2001 serological survey in the Czech Republic--viral hepatitis
V Nemecek1, J Cástková, P Fritz
1Centre of Epidemiology and Microbiology, National Institute of Public Health, Prague, Czech Republic. nemecek@szu.cz
Insights
Hepatitis A (HAV) antibody prevalence increased in younger Czechs, likely due to vaccination. Hepatitis B (HBV) showed age-dependent prevalence, while Hepatitis C (HCV) remained low in the general population.
Area of Science:
- Hepatology
- Infectious Diseases
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Serological surveys are crucial for understanding hepatitis virus epidemiology.
- Previous surveys in 1984 and 1996 established baseline data for hepatitis A and B in the Czech population.
- The 2001 survey aimed to update prevalence data and include hepatitis C for the first time.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the prevalence of hepatitis A virus (anti-HAV), hepatitis B virus (anti-HBc, HBsAg, anti-HBs), and hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV) antibodies in the Czech population in 2001.
- To analyze age-specific prevalence trends and compare findings with previous surveys.
- To assess the impact of vaccination on hepatitis A prevalence.
Main Methods:
- Sera collected in 2001 were tested using Abbott AxSYM kits for anti-HAV, anti-HBc, HBsAg, anti-HBs, and anti-HCV antibodies.
- Statistical analysis was performed to determine prevalence rates and age-specific trends.
- Comparison of anti-HAV prevalence with data from 1984 and 1996 surveys.
Main Results:
- Anti-HAV antibody prevalence showed a shift towards older age groups, with increased prevalence (5-10%) in individuals under 20, suggesting vaccination impact.
- Anti-HBc prevalence increased with age, showing a decrease from 6.95% in 1996 to 5.59% in 2001.
- Hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibody prevalence was low at 0.2%, with findings suggesting infection is concentrated in high-risk groups rather than the general population.
Conclusions:
- Vaccination appears to be influencing hepatitis A virus (HAV) seroprevalence trends in younger populations.
- Hepatitis B virus (HBV) seroprevalence continues to demonstrate a clear age-dependent pattern.
- The low prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibodies in the general population warrants further investigation into high-risk groups.
Abstract:
Within serological surveys 2001, prevalence of markers of hepatitis viruses A (anti-HAV), B (anti-HBc, HBsAg, anti-HBs) and for the first time also C (anti-HCV) was investigated. Sera were collected in 2001 and tested by respective kits AxSYM, Abbott. HAV: 2,623 sera were tested for the presence of anti-HAV antibodies. Comparison with serological surveys of 1984 and 1996 revealed again shifts of the age prevalence curve for anti-HAV antibodies towards higher age groups corresponding to time intervals between epidemiological surveys. High prevalence rates of anti-HAV antibodies (more than 20%) were only found for the population age groups who lived in the period of high incidence of VHA, i.e. up to 1965. The prevalence of anti-HAV antibodies increased by about 5-10% in the population under 20 years of age, the increase being significant and assumingly attributable to vaccination against VHA, and remained the same as in 1996 in the age group 20-29 years. HBV: 2,568 sera were tested for the presence of anti-HBc antibodies and 76 reactive specimens were further tested for the presence of HBsAg and anti-HBs antibodies. The prevalence of anti-HBc antibodies continuously increases with age. The total prevalence of anti-HBc antibodies calculated for the Czech population is 5.59% compared to 6.95% recorded in 1996. The calculated prevalence rate of HBsAg is 0.56% and that of anti-HBs antibodies is 3.99% for the non-vaccinee population. HCV: The prevalence rate of anti-HCV antibodies was 0.2% with 6 out of 2,950 sera testing positive. Age dependence could not be assessed because of the small number of positive persons. HCV infection is known to afflict high-risk groups, likely to escape a general serological survey, rather than the normal population.
