Occupational viral hepatitis in southern Moravia from 1988 to 2004

Overview

The author analyzes cases of viral hepatitis which were recognised and reported as an occupational disease at the Clinic of Occupational Medicine in St Anna’s University Hospital in Brno between 1988 and 2004. The group includes 142 individuals from southern Moravia - 121 females and 21 males. In 4 patients, two types of hepatitis were reported. Viral hepatitis B was reported most often – 79 cases (54.1 %), followed by hepatitis A – 33 cases (22.6 %) and hepatitis C – 21 cases (14.4 %), in 13 cases (8.9 %) the specific type of hepatitis was not known. The average age at the time of notification in the observed period was 36 years in males and 38 years in females. The duration of exposure ranged from 3 to 22 years with an average of 5 years. Nurses suffered from occupational diseases most often (59.9 %), followed by physicians (11 %). The most afflicted departments were internal medicine (16.2 %), long-term care and similar facilities (14.8 %).

Key words:
viral hepatitis, occupational disease, health services