Extent of measles hepatitis in various ages

✍ Scribed by Hanna Shalev-Zimels; Zvi Weizman; Chaim Lotan; Dov Gavish; Zvi Ackerman; Abraham Morag

• Book ID: 102236780
• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1988
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 176 KB
• Volume: 8
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0270-9139
• DOI: 10.1002/hep.1840080529

✦ Synopsis

To assess extent of hepatic involvement in measles, we evaluated prospectively 144 patients (ages 0.2 to 43 years) during an outbreak. Liver function parameters (AST, ALT, serum y-glutamyl transpeptidase and bilirubin) were determined on presentation and at 2 and 4 weeks.

The study comprised 52 pediatric (514 years) and 92 adult patients. Liver dysfunction was evident quite often (56 to 66%) in adult patients. However, in the pediatric age group, these abnormalities were less frequent and less extensive. Moreover, a significant correlation was noted between age and each of the following parameters: AST (r = 0.61), ALT (r = 0.56) and serum y-glutamyl transpeptidase (r = 0.39). In all subjects all parameters normalized after 2 to 4 weeks.

The data presented suggest that hepatic dysfunction in measles is probably not rare and is more frequent and more extensive in adults. However, these abnormalities seem to be subclinical, self-limited and probably with no long-term sequelae.