Table 2. Demographic data and symptoms of patients.
| Variable | No diagnosis (n = 157) | Acute hepatitis A (n = 26)a | Acute hepatitis B (anti-HBc IgM +ve) (n = 21)b | Presumed chronic hepatitis B (anti-HBc IgM −ve) (n = 37)c | Presumed chronic hepatitis C (n = 20)d |
| Male/female, % | 64/36 | 77/23 | 71/29 | 76/24 | 74/26 |
| Missing data, n | 6 | – | 4 | – | 1 |
| Age in years, median (Q25–Q75) | 18 (4–30)e | 5 (3–7)e | 30 (18–35)e | 30 (26–35)e | 32 (25–49)e |
| Missing data, n | 5 | 1 | 5 | – | 1 |
| Region, n (%) | |||||
| Brong-Ahafo & Ashanti | 49 (31) | 10 (38) | 5 (24) | 9 (24) | 3 (15) |
| Northern | 50 (32)f | 9 (35) | 11 (52)f | 26 (70)f | 11 (55) |
| Upper West & East | 58 (37)g | 7 (27) | 5 (24)g | 2 (5)g | 6 (30) |
| Symptoms, n (%) | |||||
| Fever | 115 (73) | 21 (81) | 17 (81) | 30 (81) | 10 (50) |
| Jaundice | 61 (39)h | 20 (77)h | 17 (81)h | 19 (51) | 7 (35) |
| Hemorrhage | 23 (15) | 3 (12) | 2 (10) | 3 (8) | 2 (10) |
| Missing data, n | 1 | – | – | – | – |
Statistical analysis of the data: Each sub-group with diagnosis was tested vs. the sub-group without diagnosis for all quantitative variables and categories of a qualitative variable. Statistically significant differences are indicated by footnotes; all other differences were not significant.
Abbreviations: Q25, lower quartile, 25% of the data lie below this value; Q75, upper quartile, 75% of the data lie below this value.
18 patients were positive for anti-HAV IgM and HAV RNA; 7 patients were positive for anti-HAV IgM; 1 patient was positive for HAV RNA. Co-infections: 1 patient was positive for HBV DNA and HBsAg.
19 patients were positive for anti-HBc IgM, HBV DNA, and HBsAg; 2 patients were positive for anti-HBc IgM and positive for HBV DNA in two different PCR assays, but negative for HBsAg. Co-infections: 1 patient was HCV RNA positive.
All patients were positive for HBV DNA and HBsAg, but negative for anti-HBc IgM. Co-infections: 1 patient was anti-HAV IgM positive; 1 patient was HCV RNA positive.
All patients were HCV RNA positive. Co-infections: 1 patient was positive for anti-HBc IgM, HBV DNA, and HBsAg; 1 patient was positive for HBV DNA and HBsAg.
p = 0.001, no diagnosis vs. acute hepatitis A; p = 0.0001, no diagnosis vs. chronic hepatitis B; p = 0.00004, no diagnosis vs. acute & chronic hepatitis B combined; p = 0.005, no diagnosis vs. hepatitis C.
p<0.0001, no diagnosis vs. chronic hepatitis B; p<0.0001, no diagnosis vs. acute & chronic hepatitis B combined.
p<0.0001, no diagnosis vs. chronic hepatitis B; p = 0.0004, no diagnosis vs. acute & chronic hepatitis B combined.
p = 0.0005, no diagnosis vs. acute hepatitis A; p = 0.0003, no diagnosis vs. acute hepatitis B.