Seroprevalence of Subclinical HEV Infection in Pregnant Women from North India: A Hospital Based Study (Hepatitis E Virus ) (Report‪)‬

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a major public health problem in the developing countries. The disease occurs either in the form of large epidemics which are related to contamination of drinking water supplies, or in the form of sporadic cases in the absence of a conspicuous outbreak. IgM antibody to HEV is used as an acute phase marker of HEV infection and HEV IgG is used to study the exposure to HEV in a given population. Evidence of exposure and/or positive IgG serology has been demonstrated in varying proportions (9.3-26%) in the healthy populations of developed countries (1,2). The prevalence of anti-HEV IgG among the general population from India ranges from 4 per cent in Kashmir and south India to as high as 29-35 per cent in Delhi (3-6). Further, 32 per cent of patients with chronic liver disease also showed positivity to anti-HEV IgG (7,8).