Clinical and epidemiological studies on 252 cases of acute hepatitis A during the past 15 years

• Published in: Kanzo Vol. 37; no. 4; pp. 200 - 207
• Main Authors: WASADA, Mitsuru, SIRAISHI, Koichi, NAKANO, Atsushi, NISHIZAKI, Yasuhiro, UCHIYAMA, Junzo, ITAKURA, Masaru, MATSUZAKI, Shohei, WATANABE, Norihito, KOBAYASHI, Fuminori, NAGATA, Naruhiko, OKAZAKI, Yuhaku, KAGAWA, Tatehiro
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Japanese
• Published: The Japan Society of Hepatology 1996
• ISSN: 0451-4203; 1881-3593
• DOI: 10.2957/kanzo.37.200

Retrospective studies on 252 cases of acute hepatitis A admitted from 1980 to 1994 was done to elucidate its clinical features in recent years. The occurrence of acute hepatitis A was periodic, and most frequent in 1990 during the past 15 years. The patients, especially females has been increased in number for the recent 5 years. They tended to be older than before. There were 6 prolonged cases of acute hepatitis A in which liver dysfunction continued over 3 months up to 7 months. None of them progressed to chronic hepatitis. It is of special interest that 6 cases of severe type of acute hepatitis A whose prothrombin time is less than 40% has been recognized in the recent two years. The severe type occurred frequently in male and aged patients. It is therefore suggested that the number of patients with acute hepatitis A is increased in older persons and females, and that severe type of acute hepatitis A has occurred recently.