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Epidemiology and clinical features of sporadic hepatitis E as compared with hepatitis A.

Chau TN, Lai ST, Tse C, Ng TK, Leung VK, Lim W, Ng MH

Department of Medicine and Geriatrics, United Christian Hospital, Hong Kong SAR, China.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the epidemiology and clinical features of two enterically transmitted hepatitis, namely hepatitis E and hepatitis A. METHODS: We analyzed clinical features and risk factors of 105 cases of hepatitis A and 24 cases of hepatitis E admitted in 2002. All patients were tested positive for IgM antibody against either hepatitis A virus (HAV) or hepatitis E virus (HEV), and all patients were tested to be negative for IgM anti-HBV or IgG anti-HCV. RESULTS: Hepatitis A patients were significantly younger (median age = 27 yr) and most had a recent history of shellfish consumption, whereas hepatitis E patients were older (median age = 53 yr) and most had a recent travel history. Whereas hepatitis A was milder and recovery was uneventful, hepatitis E was more severe, associated with significant mortality and frequently complicated by protracted coagulopathy and cholestasis. CONCLUSIONS: Hepatitis E is a more severe disease entity as compared with hepatitis A and significant proportion of them are imported cases from an endemic area.

Published 3 February 2006 in Am J Gastroenterol, 101(2): 292-6.
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