Seroprevalence of hepatitis E virus (HEV) antibody and the possible association with chronic liver disease: a case-control study in Albania

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Abstract
SUMMARY: A case-control study involving 109 in-patients with chronic liver disease and 190 in-patients with no apparent liver disease was conducted to evaluate the seroprevalence of anti-HEV antibodies and the possible association with chronic liver disease. Among cases, the anti-HEV prevalence was 36·6% which increased significantly by age; among controls, the prevalence was 12·1% (P<0·05) and was similar among age groups 50 years (OR 4·0, 95% CI 1·4–11) and the presence of end stage liver disease (ESLD) (OR 4·3, 95% CI 1·4–12·8) were associated independently with anti-HEV positivity. The mean optical density, determined by anti-HEV immunoenzymatic test, was significantly higher among patients with ESLD, compared to the other patients. These results indicate that there is a high seroprevalence of anti-HEV in patients with chronic liver disease and a possible association between HEV infection and/or anti-HEV production and advanced stage chronic liver disease.