Acute hepatitis B and hepatitis D co-infection in the Stockholm region in the 1970s and 1980s--a comparison.
The frequency and clinical features of acute hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection with and without a hepatitis D virus (HDV) co-infection was investigated retrospectively in the Stockholm region during two different time periods, September 1977-October 1978 and November 1984-October 1986. Totally, 31/229 (14%) patients with acute HBV infection had a HDV co-infection. No change in the frequency of co-infections, 12% and 15%, respectively, was observed between the 1970s and 1980s. Among the 31 HDV co-infected patients 74% were intravenous drug addicts. Totally 23/66 (35%) intravenous drug addicts with acute HBV infection had HDV co-infection. Clinically a biphasic rise of the serum levels of alanine aminotransferase and bilirubin was noted among 63% of the HDV co-infected patients but only among 8% of the solely HBV infected patients (p less than 0.001). A clinically more severe hepatitis was seen significantly more often among the HDV co-infected patients than among the solely HBV infected.
Lindh
G
G
Dept. of Infectious Diseases, Karolinska Institute, Roslagstull Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
Mattsson
L
L
von Sydow
M
M
Weiland
O
O
D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D001663:Bilirubin / Q000097:blood; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D003699:Hepatitis D / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous / Q000150:complications; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology
D000410:Alanine Transaminase; D001663:Bilirubin