Research into Hepatitis B seroprevalence among children aged 1-18 years in Usak province and comparison with seroprevalence in other provinces and Turkey

Abstract

Hepatitis B (HBV) infection is a significant health problem around the world. Turkey is a country with moderate endemicity. This study aims to investigate the seroprevalence of HBV and anti-Hbs seropositivity among children and young adults aged 1 to 18 years living in Usak province of Turkey. This is a retrospective review of 720 children, 394 boys and 326 girls, aged 1 to 18 years who were admitted to Usak Private Medical Park Hospital for any reason between January 2017 and December 2018. Anti-Hbs seropositivity was identified in 471 children including 63% of the boys (249/394) and 68% of the girls (222/326) in the study cohort. Only one case of HbsAg positivity (0.001%) was specified among 720 children. Anti-Hbs seropositivity was 83% in Group 1 (82/99), 61% in Group 2 (62/101), 55% in Group 3 (51/92), 56% in Group 4 (43/77) and 66% in Group 5 (233/350). To the best of our knowledge, this hospital-based cross-sectional study is the first clinical research of the 1-18-year age group for HbsAg seroprevalence and anti-Hbs seropositivity in Usak province. When compared with other provinces and Turkey in general, HbsAg seropositivity rate is relatively low in this study.