Risk factors for hepatitis B virus infection among heterosexuals attending a sexually transmitted diseases clinic in Italy: Role of genital ulcerative diseases
✍ Scribed by Corona, Rosamaria; Caprilli, Federico; Giglio, Amalia; Stroffolini, Tommaso; Tosti, Maria Elena; Gentili, Giulio; Prignano, Grazia; Pasquini, Paolo; Mele, Alfonso
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 1996
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 465 KB
- Volume
- 48
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0146-6615
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✦ Synopsis
The seroprevalence and risk factors for hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection were determined among 1,497 heterosexuals with no history of intravenous drug use (median age 32, range 15-78) treated at a sexually transmitted disease clinic in Rome. A total of 329 (22.0%) had antibodies to HBV core antigen (anti-HBc), a rate nearly four times as high as the 5.8% found recently in a national sample of young male adults, ages 18-26 years. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that the risk of anti-HBc positivity was independently associated with male sex, increasing age, lower level of education, three or more sexual partners i n the previous year, and positive syphilis serology. Lack of condom use, history of nonulcerative sexually transmitted diseases, and genital herpes were not associated with anti-HBc positivity. These findings confirm that heterosexual exposure plays an important role in the spread of HBV infection. Furthermore, these data indicate that individuals with more than two sexual partners a year and those with positive syphilis serology should be immunised against HBV.