Seroepidemiological Study of Hepatitis A in Medical Students of Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences in ۲۰۱۹

Introduction: Hepatitis A (HA) is a common infectious disease caused by the HA virus that primarily affects the liver. We need to determine the safety status and infection rate in the community. Therefore, we decided to study the Seroepidemiological of HA in medical students of Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences in ۲۰۱۹. Material and Methods: This was a cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study prospectively examining anti-HAV antibodies in medical students of Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences in ۲۰۱۹. Patient demographic data, laboratory results of anti-HAV IgG and vaccination history were recorded. Four cc of blood were drawn from each student for the anti-HAV IgG test and after the test was performed. Data were analyzed using SPSS ۲۴ software. Results: One hundred and fifty-five students were interviewed. The mean age (standard deviation) of the students in this study was ۲۳.۸۱ (۱.۴۷) years. Ninety-nine (۶۳.۹%) of the students were male. Therefore, it was caused by previous infection with HAV and ۱۲۰ (۷۷.۴%) cases were considered susceptible individuals whose serum anti-HAV IgG was negative. This was not seen to be statistically significant (P=۰.۷۵۴). According to the test, ۷۷.۴% of the predictions were correct. None of the variables of sex, age, history of underlying disease, place of residence, and history of travel had a significant effect on the incidence and positivity of anti-HAV IgG. Conclusion: This study showed that the incidence of anti-HAV IgG was positive in ۲۲.۶% of the students, which is much lower than previous studies. This may be due to the higher level of health in this segment of the population.

Keywords:

Hepatitis A , Medical students , Seroepidemiology