XXXX antigen and antibody and tests of liver function: a prospective study of 310 hospital laboratory workers.

@entity1956 @entity167 @entity20332 @entity3645 @entity99
This prospective epidemiological study of a population of hospital laboratory workers, exposed to @entity99 routinely, studied the prevalence of the presence of @entity1956 antigen and antibody (HBsAg and HBsAb, respectively) over a 26-month period among these workers. Tests of liver functions, including measurement of serum @entity3645 , were also performed. 111 were studied once and 199 employees were measured at least 2 times. Though the prevalence of antigen for @entity99 was 1.7% and that for antibody was 23.9%, the rate of @entity99 attack was only 3% per year, a percentage consistent with the expected sporadic occurrence of @entity20332 in such a population. Attempts were made to isolate risk factors. The following were determined: 1) exposure to body fluids, 2) exposure to body tissue, and 3) increasing duration of employment. Sex was not found to be a significant difference. When information on prior transfusion or attack of @entity99 was elicited from the study population, those with 1 or the other showed a much higher prevalence of Hb marker; this prevalence of marker @entity99 had occurred in the past. However, the clinical significance of a positive HB marker with or without other risk factors (including @entity167 ingestion and use of oral contraceptives) was negligible. It was found that the prevalence figures of @entity99 antibody underestimate the incidence of @entity99 . Liver function tests were routinely normal in all cases (i.e., with or without previous @entity99 or presence of antibody or marker) except where @entity99 was present. The spread of @entity99 among laboratory personnel is not considered a great public health hazard.
