Prevalence of hepatitis C virus antibody among Korean adults

To estimate the prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among Korean adults and to present the putative route of HCV transmission among them, serum samples from 4917 adults older than 20 years of age were tested for antibody to HCV (anti-HCV), and histories of blood transfusion and other per...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Korean medical science 1992-12, Vol.7 (4), p.333-336
Main Authors: Kim, Y S, Pai, C H, Chi, H S, Kim, D W, Min, Y I, Ahn, Y O
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Aged
Chi-Square Distribution
Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
Female
Hepacivirus - immunology
Hepacivirus - isolation & purification
Hepatitis Antibodies - blood
Hepatitis C - epidemiology
Hepatitis C - immunology
Hepatitis C - transmission
Hepatitis C Antibodies
Humans
Korea - epidemiology
Male
Middle Aged
Prevalence
Radioimmunoassay
Retrospective Studies
Surveys and Questionnaires
Citations: Items that cite this one
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Summary:To estimate the prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among Korean adults and to present the putative route of HCV transmission among them, serum samples from 4917 adults older than 20 years of age were tested for antibody to HCV (anti-HCV), and histories of blood transfusion and other pertinent information were obtained by self-administered questionnaires. The overall prevalence of anti-HCV was 1.7%; prevalence was 1.4% in subjects with normal levels of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT), 3.3% in those with slightly elevated and 5.9% in those with markedly elevated levels of the enzymes. The prevalence of anti-HCV increased with increasing age (P < 0.01), but was not associated with blood transfusion. The present study suggests that the prevalence of HCV infection was 1.4% and that the major routes of HCV transmission may be other than blood transfusion in healthy Korean adults.
ISSN:1011-8934
1598-6357
DOI:10.3346/jkms.1992.7.4.333