Prevalencia de hepatitis B en un servicio de ginecobstetricia, 1992-1993

Abstract

A hepatitis B virus infection (HBV) seroprevalency study was carried out in the hospital at Honda (Tolima). The target population was composed of women who had consulted the gyno-obstetric cervices during the months of December 1992 and Januaiy 1993. All women in the study were subjected to HBV detection tests (surface antigen, central antigen antibody and surface antigen antibody). A total of 246 women aged between 15 and 50 years of age were questioned. Prevalence was found to be 13% (32 positive); half of those infected had acquired immunity patterns due to infection while the rest presented serological evidence of recent infection (1 4 patients were surface antigen or anticore carriers). Riskfactors differed according to infection stage analysed. In people with recent infection risk factors were: tattooes (CSP=14.8 CI 95% 0.65-3.32); having two or more sexual partners (CSP=4.3 CI 95% 0.99-12.9 and CSP=8.1 CI 95% 1.1-61.1, respectively) (p tendency=0.01). In people with former infection, the associated risk factor was hepatic disease family antecedent (CSP=3.57 CI 95% 1.1 9-1 0.5). For infected people (any positive marker) the hepatic disease family antecedent remained as the significant risk factor (CSP=2.44 CI 95% 1.03-5.75). The serological pattern compatible with recent infection, in this study, was related to sexual activity.The effect of dose-response findings, amongst greater number of partners, corroborated this finding. This relationship is diluted when former infection stages are analy-sed or when al1 cases are taken as being infected. The use of different stages of HBV infection as dependent variables proved to be a more efficient and specific means of measuring risk factors, from the biological point of view, than taking only infection as a positive marker.