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©The Author(s) 2022.
World J Gastroenterol. Oct 7, 2022; 28(37): 5494-5505
Published online Oct 7, 2022. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v28.i37.5494
Published online Oct 7, 2022. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v28.i37.5494
Table 1 Exposed and nonexposed population groups included in the study
| Population | n | Median age, yr | IQR, yr |
| Exposed group | |||
| Hunters | 74 | 55 | 41-60 |
| Veterinarians | 151 | 46 | 36-55.5 |
| Forestry workers | 93 | 43 | 31-51 |
| Non-exposed group | |||
| General population | 126 | 48 | 33-62 |
| Pregnant women | 118 | 31.5 | 29-35 |
| Transplant patients | |||
| Liver transplant recipients | 83 | 60 | 49-65.5 |
| Kidney transplant recipients | 43 | 52.5 | 42-62 |
| Hematopoietic stem cell recipients | 39 | 55 | 51-64 |
Table 2 Hepatitis E virus immunoglobulin G prevalence in exposed and nonexposed populations
| Population group | Tested, n (%) | HEV IgG, n (%) | 95%CI | P value |
| Hunters | 74 | 11 (14.9) | 8.2-14.2 | 0.003 |
| Veterinarians | 151 | 23 (15.2) | 10.2-21.6 | |
| Forestry workers | 93 | 6 (6.5) | 2.7-12.8 | |
| General population | 126 | 9 (7.1) | 3.3-13.1 | |
| Pregnant women | 118 | 2 (1.7) | 0.2-5.9 | |
| Liver transplant recipients | 83 | 16 (19.3) | 11.4-29.4 | |
| Kidney transplant recipients | 43 | 3 (6.9) | 1.5-19.1 | |
| Hematopoietic stem cell recipients | 39 | 2 (5.1) | 0.6-7.3 |
Table 3 Hepatitis E virus immunoglobulin G prevalence according to sociodemographic characteristics
| Characteristic | Subjects1, n | HEV IgG, n (%) | 95%CI | P value |
| Sex | 0.065 | |||
| Male | 238 | 29 (10.9) | 7.6-15.0 | |
| Female | 282 | 22 (7.2) | 4.7-10.6 | |
| Age group in yr | < 0.001 | |||
| < 30 | 99 | 3 (2.9) | 0.8-7.6 | |
| 30-39 | 147 | 11 (7.0) | 3.8-11.7 | |
| 40-49 | 94 | 5 (5.1) | 2.0-10.7 | |
| 50-59 | 90 | 11 (10.9) | 5.9-18.1 | |
| 60 + | 62 | 19 (23.5) | 15.3-33.5 | |
| Area of residence | 0.144 | |||
| Rural | 151 | 16 (9.6) | 5.8-14.7 | |
| Suburban | 54 | 11 (16.9) | 9.3-27.4 | |
| Urban | 255 | 24 (8.6) | 5.7-12.3 | |
| Number of household members | 0.301 | |||
| ≤ 3 | 258 | 22 (7.9) | 5.1-11.4 | |
| > 3 | 177 | 21 (10.6) | 6.9-15.5 | |
| Educational level | 0.467 | |||
| Primary school | 58 | 5 (7.9) | 3.1-16.5 | |
| High school | 254 | 25 (9.0) | 6.0-12.7 |
Table 4 Hepatitis E virus immunoglobulin G prevalence according to eating habits
| Eating habits | Subjects1, n | HEV IgG, n (%) | 95%CI | P value |
| Shellfish consumption | 0.004 | |||
| Never | 60 | 15 (25.0) | 14.4-37.0 | |
| Rarely | 374 | 32 (8.6) | 6.0-11.7 | |
| Once a month | 16 | 2 (12.5) | 2.7-34.4 | |
| Every week | 2 | 0 (0) | 0-84.12 | |
| Game meat consumption | 0.104 | |||
| Never | 20 | 1 (5.0) | 0.5-21.1 | |
| Rarely | 324 | 30 (9.3) | 6.5-12.8 | |
| Once a month | 89 | 14 (15.7) | 9.3-24.3 | |
| Every week | 19 | 4 (21.1) | 7.6-42.6 | |
| Offal consumption (liver) | 0.070 | |||
| Never | 25 | 0 (0) | 0-13.72 | |
| Rarely | 296 | 29 (9.8) | 6.8-13.6 | |
| Once a month | 120 | 18 (15.0) | 9.5-22.2 | |
| Every week | 11 | 2 (18.2) | 4-46.7 | |
| Pork products consumption | 0.216 | |||
| No | 204 | 18 (8.8) | 5.5-13.3 | |
| Yes | 249 | 31 (12.4) | 8.8-17.0 |
Table 5 Hepatitis E virus immunoglobulin G prevalence according to environmental and housing conditions
| Characteristics | Subjects1, n (%) | HEV IgG, n (%) | 95%CI | P value |
| Drinking water supply | 0.694 | |||
| Public water supply | 431 | 43 (10.0) | 7.4-13.1 | |
| Private water well | 70 | 7 (10.0) | 4.6-18.6 | |
| Bottled water | 4 | 0 (0) | 0-60.22 | |
| Others | 4 | 1 (25.0) | 2.8-71.6 | |
| Type of water drainage/sewer | 0.781 | |||
| Public sewer | 320 | 33 (10.3) | 7.3-14 | |
| Septic tank | 185 | 18 (9.7) | 6.1-14.6 | |
| Others | 4 | 0 (0) | 0-60.22 | |
| Waste disposal | 1.000 | |||
| Public | 501 | 51 (10.2) | 7.8-13.1 | |
| Burning | 5 | 0 (0) | 0-52.22 | |
| Slurry | 2 | 0 (0) | 0-84.12 | |
| Having pet animals | 0.039 | |||
| Yes | 265 | 33 (12.5) | 8.9-16.8 | |
| No | 243 | 17 (7.0) | 4.3-10.7 | |
| Having domestic animals | 0.629 | |||
| Yes | 140 | 16 (11.4) | 7.0-17.5 | |
| No | 348 | 35 (10.1) | 7.2-13.5 | |
| Rodent control in the basement | 0.670 | |||
| Yes | 264 | 28 (10.6) | 7.3-14.7 | |
| No | 243 | 23 (9.5) | 6.3-13.6 | |
| Storing food in the basement | 0.346 | |||
| Yes | 122 | 15 (12.3) | 7.4-19.0 | |
| No | 385 | 36 (9.4) | 6.7-12.6 |
Table 6 Hepatitis E virus immunoglobulin G prevalence according to other potential risk factors
| Characteristics | Subjects1, n | HEV IgG, n (%) | 95%CI | P value |
| Traveling abroad | 0.621 | |||
| Yes | 119 | 11 (9.2) | 5-15.4 | |
| No | 369 | 40 (10.8) | 8-14.3 | |
| Blood transfusion | 0.120 | |||
| Yes | 44 | 8 (18.2) | 9-31.4 | |
| No | 410 | 41 (10) | 7.4-13.2 | |
| Surgical procedure | 0.570 | |||
| Yes | 230 | 23 (10) | 6.6-14.4 | |
| No | 223 | 26 (11.7) | 7.9-16.4 | |
| Tattoo and piercing | 0.540 | |||
| Yes | 72 | 6 (8.3) | 3.6-16.4 | |
| No | 378 | 43 (11.4) | 8.5-14.9 |
Table 7 Risk analysis for hepatitis E virus immunoglobulin G seropositivity
| Population group | OR | 95%CI | P value | RR | 95%CI | P value |
| General population | Ref | Ref | ||||
| Hunters | 3.873 | 1.605-9.341 | 0.002 | 3.445 | 1.556-7.628 | 0.002 |
| Veterinarians | 3.985 | 1.883-8.435 | < 0.001 | 3.531 | 1.771-7.038 | < 0.001 |
| Forestry workers | 1.529 | 0.549-4.261 | 0.416 | 1.495 | 0.569-3.929 | 0.414 |
| Liver transplant recipients | 5.058 | 2.240-11.420 | < 0.001 | 4.276 | 2.068-8.839 | < 0.001 |
| Kidney transplant recipients | 1.588 | 0.424-5.946 | 0.491 | 1.547 | 0.450-5.320 | 0.488 |
| Hematopoietic stem cell recipients | 1.145 | 0.244-5.373 | 0.863 | 1.137 | 0.262-4.938 | 0.863 |
- Citation: Jelicic P, Ferenc T, Mrzljak A, Jemersic L, Janev-Holcer N, Milosevic M, Bogdanic M, Barbic L, Kolaric B, Stevanovic V, Vujica M, Jurekovic Z, Pavicic Saric J, Vilibic M, Vilibic-Cavlek T. Insights into hepatitis E virus epidemiology in Croatia. World J Gastroenterol 2022; 28(37): 5494-5505
- URL: https://www.wjgnet.com/1007-9327/full/v28/i37/5494.htm
- DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.3748/wjg.v28.i37.5494