Acute Viral Hepatitis in Hummayat Infectious Diseases Hospital, Baghdad

Abstract

Acute viral hepatitis occupies an important place among infectious diseases in the Baghdad area and was responsible for 11.2% of the total admissions to Hummayat Infectious Diseases Hospital, Baghdad, over the five-year period 1979 to 1983. There was no change in the admission rate during this five-year period, while there was a regular and significant increase during the last six months of each year. The total number of males admitted was higher than females (P <0.01), while the fatality rate was higher in females and mainly related to the 15+ years age group (P <0.001). The total fatality rate was 6%, while the fatality rate among the fulminant cases was 84%. Of the 500 patients tested for HBsAg, 24% were positive.

Etiology and Clinical Pattern of Fulminant Hepatitis in Iraq

“…Several authors working in the Middle East and India reported a worse prognosis for pregnant women with hepatitis [12][13][14] in contrast to the experience in western Europe [15,16]. We have reported a higher mortality in Iraqi females of childbearing age [17] and our results suggested that it is the female sex and not pregnancy that is responsible for the higher mortality in females of this age group. However, larger series should be studied to clarify this point.…”