SEROEPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDY OF HEPATITIS A VIRUS IN A TERITIARY CARE HOSPITAL

Hepatitis A Virus is enterically transmitted virus and major cause of acute hepatitis affecting young children and adults and it is worldwide in distribution. As per the clinical perspective of HAV infections, the disease is self-limiting, with mild to moderate hepato-splenomegaly and without any serious complications or chronicity. A shift in the age of acquiring HAV infection has been seen from childhood to older age groups in India and globally; this shift is known as epidemiological shift. Several studies from different parts of India have reported a change in the age pattern of HAV infection that indicates an evolving epidemiological shift. In this study a total of 165 cases were studied in Virology Research and Diagnostic Laboratory (VRDL), DHR/ICMR, SMC, Vijayawada for anti-HAV Ig M antibodies and its seroprevalence of HAV is found to be 12.12%. Showing highest number of seropositive cases in the age group of 0-30 years i.e., 16 (9.69%) [Chi-square- calculated, P value- 0.001, statistically significant]. Male predominance was observed with Male: Female ratio of 5:1. Urban distribution showed higher sero-prevalence than rural areas 17 (85%). Socioeconomically, middle class 9(45%) and lower class 8(40%) showed high sero-prevalence rate than upper class 3(15%) indicating less accessibility of safe drinking water supplies to the former groups. The peak incidence is observed during monsoon reflecting the possibility of contamination of drinking water supplies. This study defined the low endemicity of HAV infections in this area.