Summary
The prevalence of viral hepatitis in Norwegian merchant seamen in overseas trade was studied in 523 volunteers during compulsory health control before embarkation from the port of Oslo. The prevalence of hepatitis B markers was 9.4%, which is significantly higher than in the general Norwegian population. The prevalence increased with the number of years of occupation. It was associated with frequent casual sexual contacts in foreign countries, but not significantly increased in participants who had been exposed to tattooing or different types of medical treatment under poor hygienic conditions in foreign areas. The prevalence of antibodies against hepatitis A (HAV) was 36% in seamen born in 1945 or earlier and 5% in younger individuals, an age-dependent pattern which is essentially similar in the general Norwegian population. However, the prevalence of hepatitis A antibodies seemed to increase with years in foreign trade. The incidence of viral hepatitis infections in the occupation was noticeably high, suggesting that vaccination of seamen in certain areas of trade should be considered.
Zusammenfassung
Die Prävalenz der Virushepatitis bei norwegischen Seeleuten, die im Überseehandel tätig sind, wurde bei 523 Freiwilligen im Rahmen der Pflichtuntersuchungen vor dem Einschiffen im Hafen Oslos untersucht. Die Prävalenz der Marker für Hepatitis B war mit 9,4% signifikant höher als in der norwegischen Allgemeinbevölkerung. Die Prävalenz nahm mit den Jahren der Beschäftigung zu. Es bestand eine Korrelation zu häufigen sexuellen Gelegenheitskontakten in fremden Ländern; Personen, die tätowiert worden waren oder unter schlechten hygienischen Bedingungen verschiedene ärztliche Behandlungen im Ausland erhalten hatten, wiesen hingegen keine erhöhte Prävalenz von Hepatitis-B-Markern auf. 36% der 1945 oder früher geborenen Seeleute hatten Antikörper gegen Hepatitis-A-Virus (HAV), bei den jüngeren Personen waren nur 5% positiv; dieses altersabhängige Muster entspricht weitgehend dem der norwegischen Allgemeinbevölkerung. Die Prävalenz an Hepatitis-A-Antikörpern schien jedoch mit der Beschäftigungsdauer im Fernhandel anzusteigen. Die bemerkenswert hohe Inzidenz an Virushepatitiden in dieser Berufsgruppe gibt Anlaß, eine Impfung der Seeleute, die in bestimmten Handelsbereichen tätig sind, zu erwägen.
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Siebke, J.C., Wessel, N., Kvandal, P. et al. The prevalence of hepatitis A and B in norwegian merchant seamen — A serological study. Infection 17, 77–80 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01646880
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01646880