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World J Gastroenterol. Dec 28, 2008; 14(48): 7371-7375
Published online Dec 28, 2008. doi: 10.3748/wjg.14.7371
Changing patterns of hepatitis A prevalence within the Saudi population over the last 18 years
Faleh Al Faleh, Suliman Al Shehri, Saleh Al Ansari, Mohammed Al Jeffri, Yaqoub Al Mazrou, Ahmad Shaffi, Ayman A Abdo
Faleh Al Faleh, Ayman A Abdo, Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh 11461, Saudi Arabia
Suliman Al Shehri, Saleh Al Ansari, Ministry of Education, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Mohammed Al Jeffri, Yaqoub Al Mazrou, Ministry of Health, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Ahmad Shaffi, Department of Community Medicine, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh 11461, Saudi Arabia
Author contributions: All authors contributed to the design of the protocol, conduct of the study and writing of the manuscript. Al Faleh F, Al Shehri S, and Abdo AA also did the fieldwork; Shaffi A performed all the statistical analyses.
Supported by Grant Number 113-27-AT ON6/6/2007 from King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Correspondence to: Ayman A Abdo, Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, King Saud University, PO Bob 2925(59), Riyadh 11461, Saudi Arabia. aabdo@ksu.edu.sa
Telephone: +966-1-4671215 Fax: +966-1-4671217
Received: July 7, 2008
Revised: September 25, 2008
Accepted: October 2, 2008
Published online: December 28, 2008
Abstract

AIM: To determine the seroprevalence of Hepatitis A (HAV) amongst Saudi children and compare it with previously reported prevalence data from the same population.

METHODS: A total of 1357 students were randomly selected between the ages of 16 and 18 years (689 males and 668 females) from three different regions of Saudi Arabia (Madinah, Al-Qaseem, and Aseer) and tested for anti-HAV-IgG.

RESULTS: The overall prevalence of anti-HAV-IgG among the study population was 18.6%. There was no difference between males and females but there was a significant difference in the seroprevalence (P = 0.0001) between the three different regions, with Madinah region showing the highest prevalence (27.4%). When classified according to socioeconomic status, lower class students had a prevalence of 36.6%, lower middle class 16.6%, upper middle class 9.6%, and upper class 5.9% (P = 0.0001). Comparing the current study results with those of previous studies in 1989 and 1997 involving the same population, there was a marked reduction in the overall prevalence of HAV from 52% in 1989, to 25% in 1997, to 18.6% in 2008 (P < 0.0001).

CONCLUSION: Over the last 18 years, there has been a marked decline in the prevalence of HAV in Saudi children and adolescents. The current low prevalence rates call for strict adherence to vaccination policies in high-risk patients and raises the question of a universal HAV vaccination program.

Keywords: Hepatitis A, Saudi Arabia, Epidemiology, Prevalence, Serology