TY - JOUR
TI - Seroepidemiological study of HBV infections in Athens, Greece
AU - Papaevangelou, G.
AU - Kyriakidou, A.
AU - Vissoulis, C.
AU - Trichopoulos, D.
JO - International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health
PY - 1976
VL - 76
TODO - 2
SP - 229-234
PB - 
SN - 1438-4639
TODO - 10.1017/S0022172400055121
TODO - antibody;  antigen, carrier;  epidemiology;  hepatitis b;  major clinical study;  microorganism;  population research;  sex difference;  sex differentiation, Adolescent;  Adult;  Age Factors;  Antibodies, Viral;  Carrier State;  Child;  Child, Preschool;  Epitopes;  Female;  Greece;  Hepatitis B;  Hepatitis B Antigens;  Hepatitis B Virus;  Human;  Infant;  Infant, Newborn;  Male;  Middle Age;  Sex Factors
TODO - A seroepidemiological survey of a sample – roughly representative by age and sex – of 2744 persons of the Greater Athens area revealed that hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections are highly endemic in Greece. Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) was detected in 72 (2·6 %) of them. The subtype was identified in 70 of the 72 carriers, and 69 were ay; the other was ad. Determinant w was present in all 61 that were capable of being typed further, and a23y(w) was twice as common as a11y(w). Antibody to HBsAg (anti-HBs) was found in 514 (18·7%) persons. The prevalence of the HBsAg rose rapidly with age, reaching peak values (5·3%) at 20–29 years, while anti-HBs reached its highest value (42·1%) in older age groups (50–59 years). The frequency of HBsAg was significantly higher in males (3·4%) than in females (1·5%). The percentage of infected persons who become chronic HBsAg carriers (12·3%) was found higher than in other developed populations. It was also found higher in children (25%) than in adults (5·5%) and in males (14·6%) than in females (8·1%). These data indicate that HBV infection in early life is a major risk factor in the development of HBsAg carriers and support the hypothesis that males are more likely to become HBsAg carriers than females. © 1976, Cambridge University Press. All rights reserved.
ER -