Hepatitis B Fact Sheet – Centers for Disease Control

CLINICAL FEATURES

* Jaundice, fatigue, abdominal pain, loss of appetite, intermittent nausea, vomiting

ETIOLOGIC AGENT

* Hepatitis B virus

INCIDENCE

* 140,000-320,000 infections/yr in United States

* 70,000-160,000 symptomatic infections/yr

SEQUELAE

* Of symptomatic infections, 8400-19,000 hospitalizations/yr and 140-320 (0.2%) deaths/yr;

* Of all infections, 8,000-32,000 (6%-10%) chronic infections/yr, and 5,000-6,000 deaths/yr from chronic liver disease including primary liver cancer

PREVALENCE

* Estimated 1-1.25 million chronically infected Americans

COSTS

* Estimated $700 million (1991 dollars)/yr (medical and work loss)

TRANSMISSION

* Bloodborne

* sexual

* perinatal

RISK GROUPS

* Injection drug users

* Sexually active heterosexuals

* Men who have sex with men

* Infants/children of immigrants from disease-endemic areas

* Low socioeconomic level

* Sexual/household contacts of infected persons

* Infants born to infected mothers

* Health care workers

* Hemodialysis patients

SURVEILLANCE

* National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System

* Viral Hepatitis Surveillance Program

* Sentinel Counties Studies

TRENDS Incidence increased through 1985 and then declined 55% through 1993 because of wider use of vaccine among adults, modification of high-risk practices, and possibly a decrease in the number of susceptible persons. Since 1993, increases observed among the three major risk groups: sexually active heterosexuals, homosexual men, and injection drug users.

PREVENTION

* Hepatitis B vaccine available since 1982

* Screening pregnant women and treatment of infants born to infected women

* Routine vaccination of infants and 11-12 year olds

* Catch-up vaccination of high-risk groups of all ages

* Screening of blood/organ/tissue donors