Osong Public Health and Research Perspectives

Hyeok-Jin Lee

2 Articles

Seroepidemiology of Hepatitis A Infection in Northeastern China, Korea, and Japan: Haesun Yun, Hyeok-Jin Lee, Youngsil Yoon, Kisang Kim, Sungsoo Kim, Myung-Hee Shin, Miyuki Taniguchi, Soo Ryang Kim, Mi Kyung Kim; Osong Public Health Res Perspect. 2012;3(1):31-35. Published online December 31, 2011; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phrp.2012.01.005

Abstract PDF: Objectives
The epidemiological patterns of endemic hepatitis A virus (HAV) are unclear in northeastern Asia depending on the ethnicity of the country in question. The purpose of this study was to investigate the seroprevalence of HAV in northeastern China, South Korea, and Japan.
Methods
A total of 1,500 serum samples were collected from five groups of inhabitants (300 each) who were over 40 years of age (Korean Chinese, indigenous Chinese, South Korean, Korean living in Japan, and indigenous Japanese). The samples were screened for antibodies to HAV using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
Results
Positivity for HAV antibodies was 93.7% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 90.9–96.4) in Koreans living in northeastern China, 99.7% (95% CI: 99.0–100.3) in indigenous Chinese, 98.0% (95% CI: 96.4–99.6) in indigenous Koreans, 33.3% (95% CI: 28.0–38.7) in Koreans living in Japan, and 20.4% (95% CI: 15.8–25.0) in indigenous Japanese persons. The overall anti-HAV prevalence was not significantly different between northeastern China and South Korea, but it was different in Japan.
Conclusions
These results indicate that differences in seroprevalence can be attributed to geological, environmental, and socioeconomic conditions rather than ethnicity.

Seroprevalence of Hepatitis A and E Viruses Based on the Third Korea National Health and Nutrition Survey in Korea: Haesun Yun, Hyeok-Jin Lee, Doosung Cheon, Chaeshin Chu, Kyung Won Oh, Young Taek Kim, Youngmee Jee; Osong Public Health Res Perspect. 2011;2(1):46-50. Published online June 30, 2011; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phrp.2011.04.009

Abstract PDF: Objectives
The purpose of this study was to investigate the seroprevalence of hepatitis A virus (HAV) and hepatitis E virus (HEV) in Korea during 2005.
Methods
Study subjects were selected from across Korea using a stratified multistage probability sampling design, and HAV and HEV seroprevalence was compared on the basis of sex, age, and residency. A total of 497 rural and urban people aged 10–99 years of age (mean ± SD age = 28.87 ± 17.63 years) were selected by two-stage cluster sampling and tested serologically for anti-HAV and anti-HEV IgG using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
Results
Among this population, the overall seroprevalence of HAV was 63.80% (55.21% aged in their 20s and 95.92% in their 30s, p < 0.01) and that of HEV was 9.40% (5.21% aged in their 20s and 7.14% in their 30s, p < 0.01). Seroprevalence also varied according to area of residence. HEV prevalence in rural areas was higher than that of urban regions based on the anti-HEV antibody, odds ratio 3.22 (95% confidence interval: 1.46–7.10, p < 0.01). There were no significant differences between male and female against anti-HAV/HEV antibodies.
Conclusion
Our study suggested that the seropositive rates of HAV and HEV might be related to age and environmental conditions.

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