PREVALENCE OF HEPATITIS A VIRUS INFECTION IN NORMAL INDIVIDUALS AND HOSPITAL PATIENTS IN KUALA LUMPUR

110 normal, healthy adults were tested for antibody to hepatitis A (anti-HA) type IgG and 86 (78.2%) were found to be positive. An age-specific prevalence was found to be lowest in the lower age-group and highest in the higher age-group. Out of 24 IgG positive individuals, only one was found to have type IgM. No significant difference in the incidence of anti-HA type IgG was found between 42 patients in the Urology Unit, General Hospital, Kuala Lumpur and normal individuals (P> 0.1). 15 patients diagnosed as viral hepatitis were investigated for HA V IgG and IgM antibodies. 13 (86.7%) were positive for type IgG. Of this, only five (33%) were positive for the type IgM, suggesting that HA V is the cause of acute viral hepatitis in 33 % of cases admitted to hospital as viral hepatitis