Frequency of illness associated with epidemic hepatitis A virus infections in adults

Hepatitis A virus infection is often described as mild or asymptomatic, particularly in children. The failure of most adults who are found to be immune to remember symptoms of an illness suggestive of hepatitis A virus supports this belief. In 1982, two large outbreaks occurred in well documented po...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inAmerican journal of epidemiology Vol. 122; no. 2; p. 226
Main Authors Lednar, W M, Lemon, S M, Kirkpatrick, J W, Redfield, R R, Fields, M L, Kelley, P W
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States 01.08.1985
Subjects
Adolescent
Adult
Age Factors
Disease Outbreaks - epidemiology
Epidemiologic Methods
Germany, West
Hepatitis A - epidemiology
Hepatitis A - immunology
Hepatitis A - physiopathology
Hepatitis A - transmission
Histocompatibility Antigens Class II
Humans
Immunization, Passive
Immunoglobulin M - blood
Kansas
Male
Middle Aged
Military Medicine
Radioimmunoassay
Germany, West
Kansas
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Summary:Hepatitis A virus infection is often described as mild or asymptomatic, particularly in children. The failure of most adults who are found to be immune to remember symptoms of an illness suggestive of hepatitis A virus supports this belief. In 1982, two large outbreaks occurred in well documented populations of military personnel. These outbreaks were each extensively studied epidemiologically and serologically. It was found that 28/29 (96.6%) hepatitis A infections recognized prior to immune serum globulin in Outbreak A and 35/46 (76.1%) infections in Outbreak A were symptomatic. Symptomatic cases failed to occur beyond eight days of immune serum globulin administration to these predominantly susceptible groups. Between 40 and 70% of patients were icteric. Apparent contrasts in symptoms associated with hepatitis A infection in adults and children suggest a basic age-dependent difference in immune response to such infection.
ISSN:0002-9262
DOI:10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a114093