Evaluation of Cases with Acute Viral Hepatitis Hospitalized Between 1990-2004 in the Clinic of Infectious Diseases, Meram Faculty of Medicine, Selcuk University

Aim: Patients who diagnosed acute viral hepatitis between 1990-2004 were avaluated for etiological, epidemiological, clinical and laboratory characteristics, retrospectively. Material and method: Patients who had acute symptoms and physical examination findings suggesting acute viral hepatitis were evaluated by ELISA and PCR methods. Results: Mean age of the patient group was 26.76±14.51 years (7-77). 297 of the patient groups were male, 270 of them were female. Acute viral hepatitis A, B, C, D, E were diagnosed in 270 (48.2%), 233 (41.5%), 18 (3.2%), 3 (0.5%), 1 (0.2%) patients respectively. Hepatitis A + B coinfection were diagnosed in 4 (0.7%) patients whereas; in 29 patients (5.2%) diagnosis remained obscured. Acute viral hepatitis A was tend to occur in students during autumn and winter. Route of infection could not be identified in 377 (67.2%) patients. Weakness (73.8%), jaundice (67%), nausea (66.1%) and dark urine (56.9%) are the most frequent complaints whereas; jaundice (85%), hepatomegaly (44%) and splenomegaly (8.2%) were the most common signs noted during physical examination. Mean AST, ALT, total bilurubin values were 1433.38 (106-7963), 1951.96 (218-15596), 9.13 (1.3-35) respectively. Conclusion: Value of anti-hepatitis A and B virus vaccination is underlined because of lackness of any transmission-associated risk factors in majority of acute viral hepatitis patients.