Hostname: page-component-7bb8b95d7b-w7rtg Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-09-11T22:41:42.079Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Hepatitis in dialysis units in the United Kingdom: a Public Health Laboratory Service Survey

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 March 2010

S. Polakoff
S. Polakoff
Affiliation:
Epidemiological Research Laboratory, Central Public Health Laboratory, Colindale, NW9 5HT
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

A prospective study of hepatitis that began in 1968 and continues to include more than half the dialysis units in the United Kingdom shows that type B infection has been completely controlled in such units since the last outbreak ended in 1973. Though occasionally a single patient has developed hepatitis B surface antigenaemia in the course of dialysis or after transplantation, the infection has not spread to other patients or staff in the survey units.

A detailed analysis of the results in 1974–75 shows clustering of patients with raised aminotransferase levels in about one-fifth of the units but, unlike past outbreaks of hepatitis B, these clusters are not accompanied by clinical hepatitis among staff. The possibility that some of the clusters are caused by hepatitis viruses other than type A or B is discussed. It is concluded that, when reliable tests for type non-A non-B infections become available, the continued existence of the survey will allow prompt assessment of any viral hepatitis problems that may still exist in UK units.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Hygiene , Volume 87 , Issue 3 , December 1981 , pp. 443 - 451
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1981

References

Crosnier, J., Jungers, P., Courouce, A. M., Laplanche, A., Benhamou, E., Degos, F., Lacour, B., Prunet, P., Cerisier, Y. & Guesry, P. (1981 a). Randomized placebo-controlled trial of hepatitis B surface antigen vaccine in French haemodialysis units. II. Haemodialysis patients. Lancet 1, 797–800.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Crosnier, J., Jungers, P., Courouce, A. M., Laplanche, A., Benhamou, E., Degos, F., Lacour, B., Prunet, P., Cerisier, Y. & Guesry, P. (1981 b). Randomized placebo-controlled trial of hepatitis B surface antigen vaccine in French haemodialysis units. I. Medical staff. Lancet 1, 455–459.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Eastwood, J. B., Curtis, J. R., Wing, A. J. & de Wardener, H. E. (1968). Hepatitis in a maintenance hemodialysis unit. Annals of Internal Medicine 69, 59–66.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Galbraith, R. M., Eddleston, A. L. W. F., Portmann, B., Williams, R. & Gower, P. E. (1975). Chronic liver disease developing after outbreak of HBsAg-negative hepatitis in haemodialysis unit. Lancet 2, 886–890.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Nagington, J., Cossart, Y. E., Cohen, B. J. (1977). Re-activation of hepatitis B after transplantation operations. Lancet 1, 558–560.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Neergaard, J., Nielsen, B., Faurby, V., Christensen, D. H. & Nielsen, O. F. (1971). Plasticisers in PVC and the occurrence of hepatitis in a haemodialysis unit. Scandinavian Journal of Urology and Nephrology 5, 141–145.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Polakoff, S., Cossart, Y. E. & Tillett, H. E. (1972). Hepatitis in dialysis units in the United Kingdom. British Medical Journal 3, 94–99.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Public Health Laboratory Service (1974). Decrease in the incidence of hepatitis in dialysis units associated with prevention programme. British Medical Journal 4, 751–754.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Public Health Laboratory Service (1976). Hepatitis B in retreat from dialysis units in United Kingdom in 1973. British Medical Journal 1, 1579–1581.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Public Health Laboratory Service. Communicable Disease Weekly Reports. (Unpublished.)Google Scholar
Simon, P., Meyrier, A., Menault, M. & Bombail, D. (1979). Hepatitis non-A non-B chez les hémodialyses: étiologie médicamenteuse. Nouvelle Presse Médicale 8. 1186.Google Scholar
Stevens, C. E., Szmuness, W.. Doddman, A. I., Weseley, S. A. & Fotino, M. (1980). Hepatitis B vaccine: immune response in haemodialysis patients. Lancet 2. 1211–1213.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Szmuness, W., Stevens, C. K., Harley, E. J.. Zang, K. A.. Oleszko, W. R.. William, D. C., Sadovsky, R.. Morrison, J. M. & Kellner, A. (1980). Hepatitis B Vaccine: Demonstration of efficacy in a controlled clinical trial in a high-risk population in the United States. New England Journal of Medicine 303. 833–841.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wing, A. J., Brunner, F. P., Brynger, H., Chantler, C., Donckerwolcke, R. A., Gurland, H. J., Hathaway, R. A. & Jacobs, C. (1978). Combined report on regular dialysis and transplantation in Europe. VIII (1977). In Dialysis Transplantation Nephrology (ed. Robinson, B. H. B. and Hawkins, J. B.). Tunbridge Wells: Pitman Medical. Proceedings of the European Dialysis Transplant Association 15, p. 66.Google Scholar