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Sera were obtained from 494 non-icteric patients admitted with illnesses other than overt hepatitis into the medical wards of the rural and urban hospitals in Malaysia. They were tested for HBsAg, HBeAg, and anti-HBs by enzyme immunoassay. The overall HBsAg carrier rate was 18.0% ranging from 9.6% in children, (10 years and under), to a maximum of 23.5% in the adolescents (11 to 20 years), the rates decreasing subsequently to 16.5% and 20.8% in the adult and middle-age groups, respectively. The Chinese (18.6%) and Malays (19.9%) had similar HBsAg carrier rates but the rate in the Indians (9.0%) was distinctly lower. Similar rates were observed in the males (16.5%) and the females (19.8%). The carrier rate was 17.1% in rural patients compared with 21.4% in the urban ones. The 'e' antigen was found in 14 of the 89 HBsAg carriers (15.7%). The overall prevalence was 14/494 (2.8%) rising sharply from childhood (2.9%) to adolescence (5.3%), subsequently declining with advancing age. The Chinese had the highest rate (6.2%) followed by the Indians (1.5%) and the Malays (1.1%). Males had a rate of 3.3% compared to the females with 2.3%. Anti-HBs was found in 33.8% of the patients, increasing steadily from childhood (18.3%) to middle-age (46.4%). The Chinese had a higher prevalence rate (41.6%) than the Indians (32.8%) and the Malays (29.3%). The rates were similar for the males (35.6%) and the females (31.5%). Rural patients (46.1%) had a higher rate than urban patients (35.7%). Both areas showed rising prevalence with increasing age.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Icteric patients with clinical and biochemical evidence of liver disease, admitted into various hospitals in Malaysia, were investigated to determine the cause of their infection. Of these patients, 11.0% (16/145) were found positive for IgM anti-HAV (EIA), 4.1% (6/145) for IgM anti-HBc (EIA), 1.0% (1/102) for IgM anti-CMV (ELISA), 17.2% (16/64) for rising titres of leptospiral agglutinin, and none for heterophile antibody of EBV. Hepatitis NANB accounted for 67.9% of cases. The mean serum transaminases (ALT and AST) values in patients with hepatitis A and B were higher (more than 500IU) than in patients with leptospirosis or non-A, non-B hepatitis, whereas serum bilirubin levels were higher in patients with hepatitis A and leptospirosis than in patients with hepatitis B.

Sera from 494 non-icteric patients admitted with illnesses other than overt hepatitis into the various hospitals in rural and urban Malaysia were tested for IgG antibody to hepatitis A virus. The overall antibody prevalence rate was 67.0% with rates increasing steadily from childhood 10 years old and under (39.4%) to middle-age and above (96.0%). No significant differences were noted between males (68.4%) and females (65.3%). The highest rate was in the Indians (80.6%), the lowest in the Chinese (55.9%) with Malays occupying intermediate position (70.3%). The rate in the rural patients (74.7%) was higher than that in the urban patients (65.5%) especially in the 21 to 40 year age-group where the rural patients had a rate of 96.7% compared with that in urban patients (61.1%). A comparison of antibody prevalence rates in different countries was made.