Objective: Hepatitis A virus (HAV) infections are usually less recognized due to their characteristic subclinical presentation especially in children. The best approach is to determine the prevalence in different geographical regions. In this study we aimed to determine the seroprevalence of HAV seropositivity in Muş region, Turkey.

Material and Method: Hepatitis A seropositivity was investigated retrospectively in 369 pediatric (0-14 years old) and 1063 adults patients between January 2014 and October 2014.

Results: Results were analyzed in terms of the prevalence of hepatitis A virus in relation to age and also the rate of acquired immunity in adulthood. Hepatitis A virus IgM positivity was not observed in the adult group. HAV IgM positivity was 20.48% (68/369) in children. HAV IgG positivity was 95.86% (1019/1063) in adult group. The results indicated that the majority of the population encountered HAV during childhood.

Conclusion: HAV infections were highly prevalent in the study area and the seropositivity of HAV increased with age. Higher prevalence of HAV infection in Muş area was possibly attributed to the low socioeconomical status, crowded family life, cultural and lifestyle habits, lack of proper sanitary systems and living more in the rural area than the urban area in Muş province.