HEPATITIS-A AND HEPATITIS-B IN THE ASIR REGION, SOUTHWESTERN SAUDI-ARABIA

This study was conducted to gather information on the prevalence of hepatitis A and hepatitis B in the Asir region of southwestern Saudi Arabia and to optimize the use of routine serological tests in the diagnosis. Three serological markers were determined concurrently by enzyme immunoassay for patients with acute hepatitis admitted to a fever hospital and to suspected hepatitis patients at two general hospitals in Abha during 7 January 1987 until 15 May 1989. These markers were the IgM antibody to hepatitis A, the hepatitis B surface antigen, and the IgM antibody to the core antigen of hepatitis B. Results of the serological patterns obtained indicated that hepatitis A afflicted 43% while hepatitis B affected 9% of the patients with acute hepatitis admitted to the fever hospital. In contrast, hepatitis A could only be diagnosed in 5.6% and hepatitis B in 2% of the patients from the other two hospitals. The incidence of hepatitis A peaked in early childhood while that of hepatitis B peaked in middle age. The identification of some patients was uncertain, particularly those with chronic hepatitis who were negative for the hepatitis B core IgM but positive for hepatitis B surface antigen from normal healthy carriers of this antigen, who accounted for about 6% of blood donors in the region during the study period.