title: Acute viral hepatitis: aetiology and evolution.
abstract: Over a period of three and a half years, 348 consecutive children with acute hepatitis were studied. There were 205 boys and 143 girls aged from 3 months to 12 years old. The most common type was hepatitis A, of which there were 281 cases, 81% of the total; there were 41 in the under 4 years old age group (63% of that group), 99 in the 5-8 year old age group (87% of that group) and 141 in the 8-12 year old age group (83% of that group). Hepatitis B occurred in 29 (8% of the total), and non-A, non-B hepatitis occurred in 35 (10%). All the children with hepatitis A and all but one with hepatitis B recovered. There were three deaths from fulminant hepatitis, one in the group with hepatitis B and two with non-A, non-B. Clearance of the hepatitis B surface antigen was fast, by six months 26 patients having cleared the antigen and 21 (77%) being positive for hepatitis B surface antibody. One patient became a carrier of hepatitis B surface antigen.
authors.affiliation: Paediatric A Unit, Princess Margaret Hospital, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: C B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Chow
authors.forename: T T
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: Lau
authors.forename: N K
authors.initials: NK
authors.lastname: Leung
authors.forename: W K
authors.initials: WK
authors.lastname: Chang
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006506:Hepatitis A / Q000453:epidemiology; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000453:epidemiology; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000453:epidemiology; D006525:Hepatitis, Viral, Human / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000401:mortality / Q000635:transmission; D006723:Hong Kong; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens