Community-Based Seroepidemiological Survey of Hepatitis E Virus Infection in Catalonia, Spain

The objective of the study was to investigate the prevalence of immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies to hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection in a population sample from Catalonia and to analyze the demographic and clinical variables associated with the presence of these antibodies. A total of 1,280 subjects between 15 and 74 years of age were selected randomly from urban and rural areas. Data for sociodemographic and clinical variables were collected by using a questionnaire. IgG antibodies to HEV were determined by an immunoenzymatic method. The odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were calculated for studied variables. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to determine which variables were independently associated with the prevalence of HEV infection. Anti-HEV antibodies were detected in 96 (7.3%) of the 1,280 samples analyzed. The prevalence of antibodies was greater among males (7.8%) than among women (7%) and increased with age for both sexes, from 3% among subjects 15 to 24 years of age to 12% among subjects ≥65 years of age. Bivariate analysis of the sociodemographic and clinical variables showed an association between the prevalence of hepatitis E virus infection and minor surgery (OR, 1.96; 95% CI, 1.24 to 3.11), abdominal surgery (OR, 1.74; 95% CI, 1.12 to 2.73), and, for women, being uniparous or multiparous (OR, 2.84; 95% CI, 1.19 to 6.79). The multivariate analysis showed an association with minor surgery only (OR, 1.68; 95% CI, 1.03 to 2.70). In conclusion, anti-HEV antibodies were detected in 7.3% of the Catalan population. The seroprevalence of anti-HEV antibodies increased with age and was associated with previous minor surgery.