Acute sporadic hepatitis in the Republic of Yemen

✍ Scribed by Gunaid, Abdalla A.; Nasher, Thabet M.; El-Guneid, Abdulkader M.; Hill, Mary; Dayton, Ralph; Pal, Arabinda; Skidmore, Susan J.; Coleman, Jonathan C.; Murray-Lyon, Iain M.

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1997
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 55 KB
• Volume: 51
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0146-6615
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1096-9071(199701)51:1<64::aid-jmv10>3.0.co;2-4

✦ Synopsis

The causes of acute icteric viral hepatitis were hepatitis B, C, and D serological markers in healthy individuals and patients with chronic liver disease [El-determined in 78 adult Yemeni patients. Acute hepatitis B (IgM anti-HBc positive) was the most Guneid et al., 1993]. The purpose of this study was to document the viral causes of acute liver disease in common type (26.9%). Acute hepatitis E (IgM anti-HEV positive) occurred in 14% and was not Yemen. associated with travel outside Yemen. Sixty per-PATIENTS AND METHODS cent of all 78 patients were positive for IgG anti-HEV as were 40% of a series of 48 healthy male Serum samples were collected from 78 patients aged at least 13 years in the acute phase of viral hepatitis. blood donors and pregnant females, indicating that HEV is prevalent in Yemen. Acute hepatitis

The diagnosis was based on a typical clinical picture with visible jaundice of less than 4 weeks duration and A (IgM anti-HAV positive) and hepatitis C and D were responsible for 5.1%, 6.4%, and 2.6% cases, compatible liver function tests with aminotransferase levels at least 2 1 /2 times the upper limit of normal. No respectively. This totals to 106%, as an infection with two viruses occurred in 6.4% cases. In 51.3% patient had a history or physical signs of chronic liver disease, and there was no evidence of excess alcohol of all cases, no virological markers of acute hepatitis were detected, suggesting an as yet undis-consumption or other cause of acute liver injury. Serum specimens were stored at Ϫ20ЊC. covered agent.