Etiology of hepatitis in children

Abstract

Background: Hepatitis (plural hepatitides) is inflammation of the liver and characterized by the presence of inflammatory cells in the tissue of the organ. Although infectious hepatitis, autoimmune hepatitis and metabolic diseases are the cause but in majority of the cases etiology remain obscure. Worldwide, the overall frequency of pediatric liver disease is 1:8,000. According to a study in U.S, it amounts to almost 15,000 hospital admissions per year. Objective of present study was to study and determine etiologies of the hepatitis in non-neonatal age group and find out the commonest etiological cause, along with to study clinical course of acute hepatitis and average time for recovery from the illnessMethods: A prospective study of 100 children presented with the clinical jaundice between the age group of 1 month to 18 years were evaluated using inclusion criteria utilizing clinical proforma, complete history, clinical examination and blood investigations, in the pediatric out-patient, in-patient and emergency department at Moolchand Medcity, New Delhi from August 2008 to August 2010.Results: Hepatitis A was positive in 88 children (88%) which was the highest in frequency, followed by Typhoid in 5 of children (5%), while Hepatitis E (3%), B (2%) and dengue 1(1%) were the least in the incidence respectively. Two patients had fulminant hepatitis and both were positive for Hepatitis A, of which one was referred for liver transplant. Period for clinical recovery was found to be 12-24 days (19.87±3.489) and for biochemical recovery was range from 23- 59 days (36.71±5.9437) while all 99 (99%) patients were recovered from the illness in 99 % of cases.Conclusions: Hepatitis A is the most common cause of acute hepatitis. Clinical recovery occurred in 2 to 3 weeks, followed by biochemical recovery in 3 to 8 weeks respectively.