Clinical Characteristics and Outcomes of Acute Hepatitis A in Korea: A Nationwide Multicenter Study.
10.3346/jkms.2014.29.2.248
- Author:
So Young KWON
1
;
Sang Hoon PARK
;
Jong Eun YEON
;
Sook Hyang JEONG
;
Oh Sang KWON
;
Jin Woo LEE
;
Hong Soo KIM
;
Yeon Seok SEO
;
Young Seok KIM
;
Joo Hyun SOHN
;
Hyung Joon YIM
;
Jong Young CHOI
;
Myung Seok LEE
;
Young Oh KWEON
;
Jae Youn CHEONG
;
Haak Cheoul KIM
;
Heon Ju LEE
;
Soon Koo BAIK
;
Hyonggin AN
;
Kwan Soo BYUN
Author Information
1. Department of Internal Medicine, Konkuk University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
- Publication Type:Original Article ; Multicenter Study ; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
- Keywords:
Hepatitis A;
Morbidity;
Mortality
- MeSH:
Acute Disease;
Adolescent;
Adult;
Age Factors;
Aged;
Child;
Child, Preschool;
Cholestasis/epidemiology/etiology;
Demography;
Hepatitis A/complications/*diagnosis/mortality;
Humans;
Kidney Failure, Chronic/epidemiology/etiology;
Liver Transplantation;
Middle Aged;
Morbidity;
Republic of Korea;
Retrospective Studies;
Tertiary Care Centers;
Young Adult
- From:Journal of Korean Medical Science
2014;29(2):248-253
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical characteristics of acute hepatitis A during a recent outbreak in Korea. Data of patients diagnosed with acute hepatitis A from 2007 to 2009 were collected from 21 tertiary hospitals retrospectively. Their demographic, clinical, and serological characteristics and their clinical outcomes were analyzed. A total of 4,218 patients (mean age 33.3 yr) were included. The median duration of admission was 9 days. The mean of the highest ALT level was 2,963 IU/L, total bilirubin was 7.3 mg/dL, prothrombin time INR was 1.3. HBsAg was positive in 3.7%, and anti-HCV positive in 0.7%. Renal insufficiency occurred in 2.7%, hepatic failure in 0.9%, relapsing hepatitis in 0.7%, and cholestatic hepatitis in 1.9% of the patients. Nineteen patients (0.45%) died or were transplanted. Complications of renal failure or prolonged cholestasis were more frequent in patients older than 30 yr. In conclusion, most patients with acute hepatitis A recover uneventfully, however, complication rates are higher in patients older than 30 yr than younger patients. Preventive strategies including universal vaccination in infants and active immunization of hepatitis A to adult population should be considered for prevention of community-wide outbreaks of hepatitis A in Korea.
