[Epidemiological and clinical features of viral hepatitis in convicts of penitentiaries]

Investigation of epidemiological and clinical features of viral hepatitides (VH) in convicts treated in clinics of penitentiaries.

VH were studied in 352 patients of the infection department of the special hospital in one of the penitentiaries of Russian Federation. 97 VH patients were followed up. Incidence of VH was also considered in 144 patients of the somatic department. Mean age of the patients was 24 years, mean duration of the last stay in the penitentiary 19 months. Forms of VH were diagnosed clinically, using EIA, ultrasound, laboratory tests.

Serological markers HC-, HB-, HA- of viral infections were detected in 34.3, 32.3 and 11.4% of patients, respectively. VH of mixed etiology was found in 17.6% of cases. 52.1% of patients had previously injected narcotic drugs, 60.4% of them had concomitant infectious or parasitic diseases. 22.9% of the patients had serum proteins below 65 g/l.

Convicts in the penitentiaries were infected primarily with hepatitis C, many of them had mixed infections and chronic hepatitis. More than half of them had associated infections infectious and/or parasitic diseases. At least one-fifth of the patients suffered from protein insufficiency. The causative agents can be transmitted through different routes, two or more at a time, iatrogenically among them. VH in convicts display special clinical features which allow to consider them as an independent syndrome.