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Joseph L. Beisky, Richard A. King, Toranosuke Ishimaru, Howard B. Hamilton, Yoshiko Nakahara, Hepatitis-associated Antigen in Atomic Bomb Survivors and Nonexposed Control Subjects: Seroepidemiologic Survey in a Fixed Cohort, The Journal of Infectious Diseases, Volume 128, Issue 1, July 1973, Pages 1–6, https://doi.org/10.1093/infdis/128.1.1
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Abstract
A survey to determine the prevalence rate of hepatitis-associated antigen (HAA) was carried out among 6,577 atomic-bomb survivors and controls in Japan. The overall prevalence rate of positive cases, determined by the micro-Ouchterlony technique, was 0.68%, a rate similar to that of Tokyo blood donors, and about fivefold higher than ambulatory persons in the United States and northern European countries. Younger subjects (20–29 years) of both sexes showed the highest rates, and a trend toward higher rates during the spring and summer was noted. History of liver disease, injections and vaccination within 12 months, acupunctures within six months, or ingestion of raw shellfish were not more prevalent among subjects with positive HAA responses. A significant relationship was shown between positive cases and a history of multiple blood transfusions. There was no statistically significant relationship between antigenemia and exposure to the A-bomb. Higher values for serum glutamic-pyruvic transaminase activity and thymol turbidity tests were noted among those who were HAA positive compared with those who were HAA negative. However, these are differences in distribution only, since there are no significant increases in rate of HAA among those who had abnormal values for liver function tests.
