Hepatitis B virus infection in a population exposed to occupational hazards: firefighters of a metropolitan region in central Brazil

INTRODUCTION: By the nature of their activities, firefighters are exposed to a high risk of contracting hepatitis B virus (HBV) as most of the Fire Brigade occurrences in Campo Grande, State of Mato Grosso do Sul (MS), Brazil, are related to the rescue of victims of traffic accidents and the transpo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical
Main Authors: Luciana Contrera-Moreno, Sonia Maria Oliveira de Andrade, Elenir Rose Jardim Cury Pontes, Alcione Cavalheiro Faro Stief, Maurício Antonio Pompilio, Ana Rita Coimbra Motta-Castro
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical (SBMT) 2012
Subjects:
Hepatite B
Bombeiros
Riscos ocupacionais
Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine
RC955-962
Arctic
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1590/S0037-86822012000400009
https://doaj.org/article/be53b7529a3b4ba6bacbdb36a94e820c
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Summary:INTRODUCTION: By the nature of their activities, firefighters are exposed to a high risk of contracting hepatitis B virus (HBV) as most of the Fire Brigade occurrences in Campo Grande, State of Mato Grosso do Sul (MS), Brazil, are related to the rescue of victims of traffic accidents and the transportation of clinical and psychiatric emergencies. The aim of this study was to investigate the seroepidemiological profile of HBV infection in firefighters from the City of Campo Grande, central Brazil. METHODS: The research involved 308 firefighters. After giving written consent, they were interviewed and blood was collected for the detection of HBsAg, anti-HBs and total anti-HBc of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). RESULTS: The participants had an average of 36.4 years of age (SD ± 6.5), being 89.9% male. Blood tests revealed 6.5% of seropositivity for hepatitis B (HB) infection (n=20), and 1% for HbsAg. Isolated anti-HBs markers, indicative of vaccine immunity, were found in 66.9% of the participants and 28.2% were susceptible to infection. With regard to risk factors for HB infection, multivariate regression analysis showed a statistically significant association with length of service; and prevalence was higher in individuals with over 20 years of service. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of HB found among the firefighters was low and length of time in the profession was found to be a risk factor. Non-occupational risk factors did not influence the occurrence of HB infection in the population studied.

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