ALCOHOLICS ARE AT HIGH-RISK OF HEPATITIS- A VIRUS-INFECTION

Objectives. - The possibility of << community-acquired >> viral infect ion has been suggested in alcoholics. In order to assess this hypothes is, we evaluated the prevalence of antibodies against hepatitis A viru s, a oro-fecally transmitted virus, in heavy drinkers. Patients and me thods. - We retrospectively studied 258 heavy drinkers, 188 males and 70 females, divided into sub-groups of increasing age, and compared th em to 277 similarly classified blood donors. Results. - The prevalence of serum anti-hepatitis A antibodies was significantly higher in alco holics than in controls (64.7 vs 52.3 %, P < 0.01). The difference was particularly marked in patients younger than 45 years old (56.2 vs 39 .1 %, P < 0.01). In the alcoholics, there was no correlation between t he prevalence of anti-hepatitis A antibodies and the socioeconomic lev el, the quantity of alcohol ingested or the severity of the underlying liver disease. Conclusion. - These results suggest that alcoholism is , per se, a risk factor for viral infections.