Serepidemiology of Hepatitis B and D Virus Infection among Intravenous Drug Addicts in Israel

To evaluate the prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis D virus (HDV) infection among intravenous drug addicts (IVDA) in Israel, serum samples were collected from 400 asymptomatic individuals attending a methadone clinic in Tel Aviv. Overall 5.5% were HBsAg positive, 2.4% HBeAg positive,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of epidemiology 1993-02, Vol.22 (1), p.140-143
Main Authors: DAN, MICHAEL, ROCK, MEIR, LILOS, PEARL, SHANY, SHULAMIT BAR
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:To evaluate the prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis D virus (HDV) infection among intravenous drug addicts (IVDA) in Israel, serum samples were collected from 400 asymptomatic individuals attending a methadone clinic in Tel Aviv. Overall 5.5% were HBsAg positive, 2.4% HBeAg positive, 52% anti-HBc positive and 6.6% were positive for anti-HD. Anti-HD was identified in 18% of addicts who were HBsAg positive and in 3% who were HBsAg negative and anti-HBc positive. Strong correlation was found between positivity to HBV antibodies and age and duration of drug use. History of jaundice correlated more strongly with anti-HD positivity than with presence of antibodies to HBV. We conclude that Israeli IVDA are less exposed to HBV and HDV infection than their North American and European counterparts.
ISSN:0300-5771
1464-3685
DOI:10.1093/ije/22.1.140