Tehran University of Medical Sciences

Science Communicator Platform

Stay connected! Follow us on X network (Twitter):
Share this content! On (X network) By
Seroprevalence of Sars-Cov-2 Antibody Among Urban Iranian Population: Findings From the Second Large Population-Based Cross-Sectional Study Publisher Pubmed



Zamani M1 ; Poustchi H2 ; Mohammadi Z2 ; Dalvand S2 ; Sharafkhah M2 ; Motevalian SA3, 4 ; Eslami S5 ; Emami A6 ; Somi MH7 ; Yazdanicharati J8 ; Saki N9 ; Karami M10, 11 ; Najafi F12 ; Mohebbi I13 Show All Authors
Authors
  1. Zamani M1
  2. Poustchi H2
  3. Mohammadi Z2
  4. Dalvand S2
  5. Sharafkhah M2
  6. Motevalian SA3, 4
  7. Eslami S5
  8. Emami A6
  9. Somi MH7
  10. Yazdanicharati J8
  11. Saki N9
  12. Karami M10, 11
  13. Najafi F12
  14. Mohebbi I13
  15. Veisi N14
  16. Hormati A15, 16
  17. Pourfarzi F17
  18. Ghadimi R18
  19. Ansarimoghaddam A19
  20. Sharifi H20
  21. Roshandel G21
  22. Mansourghanaei F22
  23. Joukar F23
  24. Shayanrad A2
  25. Eghtesad S2
  26. Niavarani A24
  27. Delavari A24
  28. Kaveh S2
  29. Feizesani A2
  30. Markarian M1
  31. Shafighian F24
  32. Sadjadi A24
  33. Darvishian M25
  34. Malekzadeh R1, 24
Show Affiliations
Authors Affiliations
  1. 1. Digestive Diseases Research Center, Digestive Diseases Research Institute, Shariati Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, 14117–13135, Iran
  2. 2. Liver and Pancreatobiliary Diseases Research Center, Digestive Diseases Research Institute, Shariati Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
  3. 3. Research Center for Addiction and Risky Behaviors (ReCARB), Psychosocial Health Research Institute, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
  4. 4. Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
  5. 5. Pharmaceutical Research Center, Pharmaceutical Technology Institute, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
  6. 6. Microbiology Department, Burn & Wound Healing Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
  7. 7. Liver and Gastrointestinal Diseases Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
  8. 8. Department of Biostatistics, Health Sciences Research Center, Addiction Institute, Faculty of Health, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
  9. 9. Hearing Research Center, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
  10. 10. Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran
  11. 11. Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health & Safety, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
  12. 12. Research Center for Environmental Determinants of Health, School of Public Health, Kermanshah UMS, Kermanshah, Iran
  13. 13. Social Determinants of Health Center, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran
  14. 14. Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Sanandaj, Iran
  15. 15. Gastroenterology and Hepatology Disease Research Center, Qom University of Medical Science, Qom, Iran
  16. 16. Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Gastrointestinal and Liver Diseases Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
  17. 17. Digestive Disease Research Center, Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Ardabil, Iran
  18. 18. Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Health Research Institute, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran
  19. 19. Health Promotion Research Center, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran
  20. 20. HIV/STI Surveillance Research Center and WHO Collaborating Center for HIV Surveillance, Institute for Futures Studies in Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
  21. 21. Golestan Research Center of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, Iran
  22. 22. Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Gastrointestinal & Liver Diseases Research Center, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran
  23. 23. Gastrointestinal and Liver Diseases Research Center, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran
  24. 24. Digestive Oncology Research Center, Digestive Diseases Research Institute, Shariati Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
  25. 25. Cancer Control Research, BC Cancer Research Centre, Vancouver, BC, Canada

Source: BMC Public Health Published:2022


Abstract

Background: The first large serosurvey in Iran found a SARS-CoV-2 antibody seroprevalence of 17.1% among the general population in the first wave of the epidemic by April, 2020. The purpose of the current study was to assess the seroprevalence of COVID-19 infection among Iranian general population after the third wave of the disease. Methods: This population-based cross-sectional study was conducted on 7411 individuals aged ≥10 years old in 16 cities across 15 provinces in Iran between January and March, 2021. We randomly sampled individuals registered in the Iranian electronic health record system based on their national identification numbers and invited them by telephone to a healthcare center for data collection. Presence of SARS-CoV-2-specific IgG and IgM antibodies was assessed using the SARS-CoV-2 ELISA kits. The participants were also asked about their recent COVID-19-related symptoms, including cough, fever, chills, sore throat, headache, dyspnea, diarrhea, anosmia, conjunctivitis, weakness, myalgia, arthralgia, altered level of consciousness, and chest pain. The seroprevalence was estimated after adjustment for population weighting and test performance. Results: The overall population-weighted seroprevalence adjusted for test performance was 34.2% (95% CI 31.0-37.3), with an estimated 7,667,874 (95% CI 6,950,412-8,362,915) infected individuals from the 16 cities. The seroprevalence varied between the cities, from the highest estimate in Tabriz (39.2% [95% CI 33.0-45.5]) to the lowest estimate in Kerman (16.0% [95% CI 10.7-21.4]). In the 16 cities studied, 50.9% of the seropositive individuals did not report a history of symptoms suggestive of COVID-19, implying an estimation of 3,902,948 (95% CI 3,537,760-4,256,724) asymptomatic infected individuals. Conclusions: Nearly one in three individuals were exposed to SARS-CoV-2 in the studied cities by March 2021. The seroprevalence increased about two-fold between April, 2020, and March, 2021. © 2022, The Author(s).