A large percentage of the Spanish population under 30 years of age is not protected against hepatitis A.

A seroepidemiological study was conducted to assess the seroprevalence of hepatitis A (HAV) antibodies in the Spanish general population in 1992-93. A total of 2744 subjects (1337 men and 1437 women) in the 5-59 years age range were stratified by gender and age (5-12, 13-19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59 years). The presence of total anti-HAV antibodies was investigated using a commercial enzyme immunoassay. Fifty-five percent (95% CI: 53.5-57. 2%) of the subjects were positive for anti-HAV antibodies, the age-standardized anti-HAV prevalence being 65.4%. Prevalence of seropositive subjects increased with increasing age (chi(2) = 996, 17; P < 0.0001), being 11%, 25% and 54% for the 5-12, 13-19 and 20-29 age groups respectively. The results from this study showed a remarkable decline in seroprevalence rates among children, adolescents and young adults. The large number of susceptible subjects in these groups of the population has public health implications in a country with intermediate HAV prevalence. Copyright 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.