An Epidemiological Study on the Selected Risk Factors of Hepatitis B Virus Infection

B형 간염 전파관련요인에 관한 역학적 연구

An attempt to confirm the associations of some selected risk factors of HBV infection and measure their risks, a cross-sectional study with 1,209 urban office workers was carried out. For the study, a simple questionnaire which contained several questions on personal experience and behaviors on several known selected risk factors of HBV infection was applied to each subject, and the Hepatitis B virus surface antigen and its antibody were checked by RPHA and PHA method, respectively. Risk factors chosen for this study were experience of blood transfusion and personal contact variables, such as frequencies of eating-out, drinking after office hours, going to tea room, sharing cigarettes, etc. The results obtained were as follows: 1. The proportion of HBsAg positive was 10.6%, and total HVB infected including the Anti-HBs positive cases without vaccination was 44.2%. Both were higher in male than in female. 2. Frequent personal contact through glasses and dishes in eating-outs and drinkings turned out not to be a significant risk factor of Hepatitis B surface antigenecity. 3. Frequent visits to tea room was a significant risk factor of HBV infection which combined HBsAg positive cases and Anti-HBs cases who had not received HBV vaccination. The odds ratio was 1.56 4. Blood transfusion was not a significant risk factor of both HBsAg positive and total HBV infection. In summary, indirect oral contacts through eating-outs and drinkings was not significant risk factor in Korea at least between adults. Blood transfusion is no more major source of HBV infection in Korea probably because the adquate screening test of HBsAg for the blood donors is being made.