Prevalence of hepatitis B virus among chronic schizophrenia patients
Keyword(s):
B Virus
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We aimed to determine the prevalence of hepatitis B surface antigen [HBsAg] among chronic schizophrenia patients in Jordan. Over a period of 12 months, 192 patients [106 male and 86 female] were tested for hepatitis B virus [HBV] by enzyme immunoassay. An equal number of age- and sex-matched healthy controls was also tested. Of the schizophrenia patients, 14 [10 male and 4 female] were positive for HBsAg while only 5 [4 male and 1 female] of the control subjects tested positive. The difference was not statistically significant but it indicates that chronic schizophrenia patients are a risk group for HBV infection and likely to benefit from preventive measures [health education and immunization against HBV].