SEROPREVALENCE OF ACUTE VIRAL HEPATITIS IN PATIENTS ATTENDING A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL

Background - Jaundice may manifest from benign conditions like physiologic jaundice of new born to life threatening conditions like fulminant hepatitis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Acute viral hepatitis is one of the common causes of jaundice in India. Aim - The present study was done to find out the prevalence of acute viral hepatitis in jaundiced patients in a tertiary care hospital.Materials and methods - Serum samples from 360 patients with suspicion of acute viral hepatitis were tested for the following serological tests using commercial kits based on Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) -anti HAV IgM, HBsAg, anti HBc IgM, anti HCV IgM antibody, anti HEV IgM.The serum samples that were negative for the above serological tests were further processed for the detection of Dengue IgM by ELISA.Results - Hepatitis A was the commonest cause of acute viral hepatitis, seen in 39.4percent (142 patients) as compared to Hepatitis B (1.39 percent). Hepatitis C (0.28 percent) and Hepatitis E (0.28 percent) were the least common. Most common group having acute viral hepatitis was less than 20 years (65 percent).Overall males were affected more than females with acute viral hepatitis (62 percent).Mixed infection with hepatitis viruses were seen in 2 cases. Dengue was identified as a cause of acute viral hepatitis in one case.Conclusion - Hepatitis A remains a major cause of acute viral hepatitis in persons less than 20 years in Coimbatore.