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American Journal of Epidemiology Vol. 135, No. 4: 409-417
Copyright © 1992 by The Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health

research-article

Prevalence of Hepatitis B Virus Markers in Sweden: A Community-based Serosurvey of 4,000 Young Swedish Adults

J. Struve1,2, J. Giesecke3, P. Olcen4, M. von Sydow2 and O. Weiland1

1Department of Infectious Diseases, Karolinska Institute, Roslagstull Hospital Stockholm, Sweden.
2Stockholm County Council Central Microbiological Laboratory Stockholm, Sweden.
3Swedish National Bacteriological Laboratory Stockholm, Sweden.
4Department of Clinical Microbiology and Immunology, Orebro Medical Center Hospital Örebro, Sweden.

The influence of age, origin, and region of domicile on the prevalence of hepatitis B virus markers was investigated in a cross-sectional sample of young Swedish adults. Sera and demographic data were prospectively collected from 2,000 male conscripts and 2,000 pregnant women from urban and rural parts of Sweden during 1988–1989. A total of 10 of 4,000 (0.25%) were found to be hepatitis B surface antigen carriers, and 62 (1.6%) were positive for both anti-hepatitis B core antigen and anti-hepatitis B surface antigen, indicating a present or prior hepatitis B virus infection. Origin from a country with high hepatitis B virus endemicity and increasing age were factors associated with serologic signs of a present or prior hepatitis B virus infection, whereas region of domicile was not. In addition, seven individuals positive only for anti-hepatitis B core antigen (blocking >70% in the test) and 39 positive only for anti-hepatitis B surface antigen (with a titer of ≥10 international units/liter) were believed to have been exposed to hepatitis B virus. Altogether, these results indicated that 3% of young Swedes had encountered hepatitis B virus and that origin from a country with high hepatitis B virus endemicity was the factor that most strongly was associated with a present or past hepatitis B virus infection. Am J Epidemiol 1992;135:409-17.

hepatitis B; hepatitis B antibodies; hepatitis B surface antigens


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