Hepatitis B prevalence in emergency physicians.

The seriousness of hepatitis B (HBV) as an occupational hazard to health care workers is well documented. The prevalence of serologic markers for this disease in the general US population is less than 5%, but in medical and dental workers it is significantly higher: 16% in general dentists, 28% in surgeons, 23% in anesthesia personnel, and 30% in emergency department nurses. This study, done under the auspices of the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP), focused on the prevalence of HBV markers in emergency physicians. Twenty-five percent of the 1983 ACEP Scientific Assembly attendees participated in the serosurvey. Physicians already vaccinated against hepatitis B were excluded. The majority of participants (58%) were community emergency physicians between 30 and 39 years of age who had six or more years in emergency medicine. A total of 94% of the physicians indicated no prior history of hepatitis, and of these 13.1% had serologic markers for HBV. Including the 10 physicians with both HBV markers and history of hepatitis, the overall prevalence for markers in this study was 15.5%. This prevalence was five times greater than the general population. Emergency physicians should be considered a high-risk group for HBV infection.