Clinical factors associated with hepatitis A virus seropositivity in HIV-infected adults living in a country with an epidemiologic shift for hepatitis A virus infection

J Korean Med Sci. 2012 Aug;27(8):969-71. doi: 10.3346/jkms.2012.27.8.969. Epub 2012 Jul 25.

Abstract

The number of HIV-infected individuals susceptible to Hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection is increasing in Korea; however, it has proven difficult to devise a vaccination policy therefore because limited seroepidemiologic data exists for them. Accordingly, anti-HAV IgG was measured in 188 HIV-infected adults between July 2008 and July 2010. The nadir CD4+ T lymphocyte counts were not different between the HAV-positive and -negative groups (197 ± 138 vs 202 ± 129, P = 0.821). The only factor independently associated with seropositive status was age under 40 yr old (OR 0.017, P < 0.001). Our findings suggest that HAV vaccination in HIV-infected adults should be targeted at persons under the age of 40 yr.

Keywords: HAV; HIV; Seropositivity.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Age Factors
  • CD4 Lymphocyte Count
  • Female
  • HIV Infections / complications*
  • Hepatitis A / complications
  • Hepatitis A / epidemiology*
  • Hepatitis A Antibodies / blood
  • Hepatitis A virus / immunology
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Odds Ratio
  • Republic of Korea / epidemiology
  • Seroepidemiologic Studies

Substances

  • Hepatitis A Antibodies