Seroprevalence and Parents’ Knowledge about Hepatitis E among a Sample of Egyptian Children and Adolescents

Abstract

Abstract Background Hepatitis E virus is one of the causes of waterborne outbreaks of hepatitis in areas of poor sanitation where it is transmitted predominately by the feco-oral route. HEV is an underdiagnosed self-limiting disease that lasts few weeks following an incubation period of 2 to 6 weeks, hepatitis E infection can be chronic in immunocompromised patients, in rare cases acute hepatitis E can be severe and result in fulminant hepatitis or acute liver failure. Objectives To assess the prevalence of anti-HEV IgG antibodies as an indicator of past hepatitis E infection among a group of Egyptian children and adolescents and to evaluate the parents' knowledge about the mode of transmission, symptoms and prevention of Hepatitis E. Methods This cross sectional study involved 188 subjects and was conducted in the General Pediatric clinic, Children’s Hospital, Ain Shams University. Sociodemographic characteristics along with socio-economic status classification and medical history were evaluated among participants. Serum anti-HEV IgG of HEV were assessed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Then parents' knowledge about modes of transmission and symptoms combined with preventive practices related to HEV were assessed by a questionnaire. Results The included participants were 188, among them 102 male, 86 female with a mean age of 6.56±3.77 years. The Seroprevalence of HEV IgG was 7.4% among the participants, HEV IgG seropositive patients aged more than 6years old and both genders were equally affected the majority of them are living in rural areas and belong to middle social class, animal contact was significantly found in IgG seropositive patients. Parents’ knowledge about acute hepatitis was very low (3.2%) compared to knowledge of chronic hepatitis (33.5%). Parents’ practice was the significant protective factor against infection. Conclusion Hepatitis E virus infection is not uncommon in the studied group of children, living in rural areas, animal contact and middle socioeconomic status are risk factors while adequate parents hygienic practice is a protective factor against the infection, general knowledge about acute hepatitis is poor among included parents.