Acute hepatitis A is the chief etiology of acute hepatitis in Egyptian children: a single-center study

AbstractAcute hepatic illness is an important health issue in children. Our work aimed to determine the prevalence of viral hepatitis in symptomatic children. It is a prospective cohort study of 268 children presented with acute hepatitis. Complete blood count, liver panel, and anti-hepatitis A virus (HAV) IgM were done initially. Cases negative for HAV were tested for anti-hepatitis E (HEV) IgM, anti-Epstein-Barr virus viral capsid antigen (EBV VCA) IgM, anti-cytomegalovirus virus IgM, hepatitis B surface antigen, anti-hepatitis B core IgM antibody, and anti-HCV antibody. Anti-HCV was repeated after 12  weeks to exclude seroconversion. In cases with negative viral serology, ceruloplasmin, total immunoglobulin G, antinuclear antibody, and abdominal ultrasound were done. Follow-up visits were bimonthly till recovery, then after 6 months. The mean age ± SD was 7.1 ± 3.7 years (1.5–18), and 56% were males. Acute HAV infection was diagnosed in 260 (97%) of cases and acute EBV infection in one case (0.4%). HAV/HEV coinfection was excluded in 70 HAV-positive cases. Six (2.2%) children remain undiagnosed and one child lost follow-up. About 80% of HAV-cases had normal laboratory result s within 45 days. Unusual presentation of HAV infection was noticed in six children: four (1.5%) were relapsing, one had a cholestatic course, and one case had severe hemolytic anemia. Acute HAV infection was the chief etiology of acute hepatitis in our Egyptian children. The majority o...
Source: European Journal of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases - Category: Microbiology Source Type: research