All issues > Volume 25(12); 1982

Original Article

J Korean Pediatr Soc. 1982;25(12):1210-1217. Published online December 31, 1982.

A Prospective Study of Intrafamilial Spread in Hepatitis B Viral Infection.

Ki Sub Chung¹, Jong Wie Choi¹

¹Department of Pediatrics, Yonsei University of Medicine, Seoul, Korea

Abstract

The pediatric liver disease involves primarily viral infection of type A or type B. Presently the hepatitis incidences are on the rising trend in Korea, especially the type B viral hepatitis. It is estimated that approximately 4〜5% of the school children are HBsAg chronic carriers which are posing threat to citizens health status. We examined 264 patients admitted to Severance hospital at Yonsei medical college as acute viral hepatitis from Jan, 1980 to Feb, 1982 and discovered that 82 patients possesed Hepatitis B markers in. their serum. The presence of hepatitis B markers and their mode of transmission among the families of these hepatitis B markers positive patients were investigated. The results are as follows. 1. Among 264 patients with acute viral hepatitis, 82 patients came down, with hepatitis B viral infection. Compared with other age groups, the patients age between 7 and 10 years old had highest incidence rate as 28%. The hepatitis B incidence ratio of male to female was 1.8:1. 2. Among 82 patients with hepatitis B viral infection, HBsAg was found in 59 patients (72.0%), Anti-HBs in 21 patients(25.6%) and both HBsAg & Anti-HBs in. 2 patients(2.4%). 3) In. intrafamilial study, the positive incidence rate of HB markers among mothers and fathers were 80.4% and 79.5% respectively, whose incidence rates were much higher than, any other family members. 4. When both parents have HB markers, their children had much higher HB markers positive rate of 72% comparing with 41.7% in children of both parents without HB markers. 5. In HB markers positive rate of mothers by age distribution of patients, mothers of patients with younger age group had much higher positive rate than, those of patients with, older age group. Especially, mothers of patients under 1 year old age had HB markers positive rate of 88%. This reflected the important role of mothers in vertical transmission or close contact with their children, in the development of hepatitis B viral infection.

Keywords :Intrafamilial Spread in Hepatitis B Viral infection