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      Analysis of Knowledge, Attitudes, and Prevalence of Hepatitis B and C Seromarkers Among Barbers in Tehran

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          Abstract

          Background

          Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections are major health problem in the world. Hairdressers (barbers) are in continuous contact with scissors and blades, and are considered a high-risk group for these infections.

          Objectives

          The aim of this study was to analyze the prevalence of hepatitis B and C infections in barbers in Tehran and to evaluate their attitudes and knowledge about the occupational risk of these infections.

          Methods

          Six hundred eleven barbers were included in this study. A group of 556 bakers were also selected from the same regions, as a low-risk control group. Serum levels of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), HBsAg-specific antibody (HBsAb), hepatitis B core antigen-specific antibody (HBcAb), and hepatitis C virus-specific (anti-HCV) antibody markers were measured with the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Participants were interviewed using a questionnaire consisting of four sections: demographic information, awareness, behavior, and personal attitudes.

          Results

          There were no significant differences in the frequency of HBsAg between the two groups. However, the frequency of HCV Ab in barbers was significantly higher than that in bakers (P < 0.005). In addition, the frequency of HBsAb marker in barbers was significantly correlated with increased awareness (P < 0.05) and number of tattoos (P < 0.001). HBcAb marker was significantly correlated with age (P < 0.001) and duration of professional career (P < 0.005). With age, barbers’ attitudes improved significantly (P < 0.05).

          Conclusions

          Being a barber alone is not a potential risk factor for HBV infection, while HCV infection is still an occupational health hazards for barbers. We suggest more extensive case-control studies with regard to rates of hepatitis B and C markers among barbers in other Iranian cities to assess the incidence of hepatitis B and C infections among this population.

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          Most cited references22

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          The changing epidemiology of viral hepatitis B in Iran.

          Hepatitis B virus (HBV) prevalence has decreased dramatically in Iranian population during the last decade, and now our country is classified as having low endemicity for hepatitis B infection. Improvement of the people's knowledge about HBV risk factors, national vaccination program since 1993 for all neonates, and vaccination of high risk groups might justify this decrease. The HBV vaccination started in infants in two provinces (Zanjan and Semnan) in 1989, and in 1993 the vaccination was included in the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) countrywide. After 13 years of implementation, the coverage has reached an appropriate level from 62% in 1993 to 94% in 2005. Evaluation of risk factors in HBV infected people is important for designing the strategies to control the disease. Intensifying HB vaccination of high risk groups, surveillance of hepatitis B infected subjects, and control on health state of refugees will further decrease the frequency of the disease in our country. Considering all possible routes of transmission in subjects without risk factors for infection is necessary. Changes in the pattern of transmission of new cases of hepatitis B, inform us of changes in the epidemiology of viral hepatitis B infection.
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            Prevalence of chronic hepatitis B infection in Iran: a review article

            Hepatitis B virus infection is a major public health problem worldwide. Islamic Republic of Iran is a country in which hepatitis B prevalence is intermediate. The aim of this study is to assess prevalence of chronic hepatitis B infection in Iran according to demographic characteristics. All cross-sectional studies concerning prevalence of chronic hepatitis B infection in Iran were included irrespective of date and language. The outcome of interest was prevalence of chronic hepatitis B infection confirmed by blood specimen positive for HBsAg. The prevalence of chronic hepatitis B infection was estimated about 1.7% or lower in general population; 0.8% (95% CI: 0.6% to 0.9%) in blood donors and 3.2% (95% CI: 2.3% to 4.1%) in intravenous drug users and varied from zero to 1.5% in beta thalassemic patients. Since mass vaccination in 1993, prevalence of chronic hepatitis B infection has being reduced among children and adolescents. This reduction can be attributed to the effectiveness of the national immunization program and it may impact on reduction of prevalence of hepatitis B infection in general population.
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              Prevalence of hepatitis C virus infection and its related risk factors in drug abuser prisoners in Hamedan--Iran.

              Recent studies in Iran has shown that prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among Iranian prisoners is high, in spite of low HCV seroprevalence in general population. This study was carried out in the central prison of Hamedan--Iran, in year 2002. Inmates were interviewed using a standard questionnaire including demographic, imprisonment history and HCV-related risk behaviors items. Thereafter, the sera drawn from the participants were tested for anti-HIV and anti-HCV antibodies. A total number of 427 drug abuser inmates participated in our study. Three hundred and ninety-seven (93%) were men and 30 (7%) were women. Total number of IV drug abusers (IDA) and non-IV drug abusers (NIDA) was 149 (34.9%) and 278 (65.1%), respectively. The overall rate of antibody positivity among inmates was 0.9% for HIV and 30% for HCV. Of all IDAs, 31.5% and of NIDAs, 29.1% had serological evidence of HCV infection. The seroprevalence of HCV infection among drug abuser prisoners in comparison with the general population in Iran, is very high (30% vs in italics 0.2%). Our results indicate the importance of policies to prevent transmission of HCV infection during and following incarceration.
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                Author and article information

                Journal
                Hepat Mon
                Hepat Mon
                10.5812/hepatmon
                Kowsar
                Hepatitis Monthly
                Kowsar
                1735-143X
                1735-3408
                13 August 2016
                September 2016
                : 16
                : 9
                : e39416
                Affiliations
                [1 ]East Health Center, Deputy of Health Affairs, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran
                [2 ]Faculty of Medicine, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, IR Iran
                [3 ]Department of Immunology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran
                [4 ]Department of Molecular Medicine, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran
                [5 ]Department of Medical Genetics, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran
                [6 ]Monoclonal Antibody Research Center, Avicenna Research Institute, ACECR, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, IR Iran
                Author notes
                [* ]Corresponding Author: Fazel Shokri, Monoclonal Antibody Research Center, Avicenna Research Institute, ACECR, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, IR Iran. Tel: +98-2122432020, Fax: +98-2122432021, E-mail: fshokri@ 123456tums.ac.ir
                Article
                10.5812/hepatmon.39416
                5090804
                06408237-cba9-4600-8b9b-31ec818693b2
                Copyright © 2016, Kowsar Corp

                This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits copy and redistribute the material just in noncommercial usages, provided the original work is properly cited.

                History
                : 24 May 2016
                : 17 July 2016
                Categories
                Research Article

                Infectious disease & Microbiology
                hepatitis b infection,hepatitis c infection,hepatitis b antigen,hepatitis c antibody,barbers

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