Sporadic Acute Hepatitis Caused by Hepatitis E Virus in Egyptian Adults

• Published in: Clinical infectious diseases Vol. 23; no. 1; pp. 195 - 196
• Main Authors: Gomatos, Peter J., Monier, Mohamed K., Arthur, Ray R., Rodier, Guénaël R., El-Zimaity, Dina, Hassan, Nassef F., Quinti, Isabella, El-Sahly, Abul-Dahab M., Sultan, Yehia, Hyams, Kenneth C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chicago, IL The University of Chicago Press 01-07-1996; University of Chicago Press
• Subjects: Acute Disease; Adolescent; Adult; Age; Antibodies; Biological and medical sciences; Brief Reports; Egypt - epidemiology; Epidemiologic Factors; Female; Hepatitis; Hepatitis A virus; Hepatitis Antibodies - blood; Hepatitis B - complications; Hepatitis B - epidemiology; Hepatitis B - immunology; Hepatitis B virus; Hepatitis C - complications; Hepatitis C - epidemiology; Hepatitis C - immunology; Hepatitis D - complications; Hepatitis D - epidemiology; Hepatitis D - immunology; Hepatitis delta virus; Hepatitis E - complications; Hepatitis E - epidemiology; Hepatitis E - immunology; Hepatitis E virus; Hepatitis E virus - immunology; Human viral diseases; Humans; Immunoglobulin G - blood; Immunoglobulin M - blood; Infections; Infectious diseases; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Operating rooms; Risk Factors; Tropical medicine; Viral diseases; Viral hepatitis; Viruses; Africa; Egypt; Virus; Human; Prevalence; Acute; Digestive diseases; Hepatic disease; Hepatitis E virus
• ISSN: 1058-4838; 1537-6591
• DOI: 10.1093/clinids/23.1.195

Our aim was to determine the prevalence of acute sporadic hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection among Egyptian adults and to identify risk factors that place Egyptians at high risk for HEV or hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. From May 1993 to June 1994, 219 adults (age range, 18-60 years) who had had acute jaundice for <10 days and whose illness was severe enough to warrant admission to a Cairo fever hospital were enrolled in the study. While specific variables were associated with HCV and HEV infection, the models using the best combinations of variables were poor predictors of infection with either virus. HEV and HAV are believed to be transmitted by the fecal-oral route, and most HAV infections have occurred in Egyptians by the age of 10. In contrast, HEV infections in Egypt occur with similar frequency from childhood into the adult years (table 1). Sporadic infection in children and adults could result from infrequent exposure to water or food containing sufficient virus to establish infection, or, alternatively, infection during childhood may not result in lasting protective immunity.