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Published on: February 1, 2017

HBV- and HCV- infected workers in the Japanese workplace

Rie Narai1, Tsunehiro Oyama, Masanori Ogawa

  • 1Department of Environmental Health, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Kitakyushu, Japan.

Journal of Occupational Health
|February 23, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Hepatitis B (HBV) and C (HCV) infected workers often face workplace challenges. While hazardous work rates are similar to the general population, many experience hepatitis exacerbations, with concerns about work-related causes.

Area of Science:

  • Occupational Health
  • Hepatology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Approximately 3 million Japanese individuals have persistent Hepatitis B (HBV) or C (HCV) infections.
  • Limited understanding exists regarding the workplace conditions for these infected workers.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the workplace conditions and experiences of workers with HBV or HCV infections.
  • To identify factors contributing to hepatitis exacerbation in the workplace.

Main Methods:

  • Conducted three types of questionnaire surveys involving occupational health physicians and workers with hepatitis.
  • Analyzed data from 130,092 workers to determine the prevalence of HBV and HCV infections.
  • Assessed the types of work, exacerbation rates, and perceived causes of exacerbation.

Main Results:

  • Occupational health physicians identified 0.82% of workers with HBV and 0.48% with HCV.
  • Around 30% of infected workers engaged in hazardous work, comparable to the general workforce.
  • Approximately 30% of physicians and 22% of workers reported hepatitis exacerbations, with workers expressing concern about work-related causes.

Conclusions:

  • Workers with hepatitis have significant concerns about the link between their work and disease exacerbation.
  • While hazardous work prevalence is similar, perceived work-related causes and actual exacerbations highlight a need for workplace support and awareness.
  • Further research is needed to elucidate the specific work-related factors contributing to hepatitis exacerbation.

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