Seroprevalence of Hepatitis B and C among Residents of Guilan Nursing Home

Viral hepatitis represents one of the most significant public health challenges. theinstitutionalization itself is an important factor influencing the risk and frequency of exposure and further spread of hbvand hcv infections. this study was carried out to determine the frequency of hbv and hcv serological markers inresidents of guilan nursing home.methods: demographic data and history of exposure to known risk factors were collected by interview and throughmedical records available at the nursing home; clinical information was obtained via examination. all residents werescreened for markers of hbv and hcv. hbsag or hcvab positive cases were examined for hbeag, hbcab, and hcv-rna,respectively; and complementary tests including ast, alt, alp, bilirubin, serum albumin, and prothrombin time (pt)were done.results: 383 residents of guilan nursing home including 243 females (63.4%) with mean age of 58.4±21.9 years wereinvestigated. the average duration of residency was 6.0±5.7 years. nine cases (2.3%) including 6 males (4.2% of allmales) were anti-hcvab positive. out of these 9 cases, 5 individuals were hcv-rna positive. all of these 5 cases weremale. the average duration of residency in hcv positive cases was 1.5±1.8 years in comparison with 6.1±5.8 years innegative cases. there was a significant reverse relationship between residency duration and hcv positivity in logisticregression.conclusions: residency in nursing home is not an important risk factor for viral hepatitis transmissions. however; werecommend precise and complete viral hepatitis screening on admission to nursing home and hbv vaccination for hbvnegative cases.