title: The etiology of acute hepatitis in hospitalized children in Cairo Egypt.
abstract: Seromarkers for hepatitis A, B and D were used to determine the cause of acute hepatitis in 94 children (age 2 to 14 years) prospectively studied when they were admitted to Embaba Fever Hospital in Cairo, Egypt, between January and April 1983. The diagnoses were: hepatitis A (4%), hepatitis B (33%), acute hepatitis in HBsAg carriers (10%), dual infections with A and B (2%), and hepatitis non-A, non-B (NANB) (50%). Past hepatitis A was diagnosed in 96%. Among acute hepatitis B infections, 17% (5 of 29 tested) had anti-delta antibody; of HBsAg positive persons, 15% (6 of 40) were HBeAg positive. Two patients had simultaneous presence of HBsAg and antiHBs. For differential diagnosis, clinical, epidemiological, and biochemical findings were evaluated but did not distinguish hepatitis B from NANB hepatitis. Males predominated for HBV infections. No risk factors were found for 58% of HBV and 70% of NANB infections; of the remaining patients, 42% percent of HBV and 30% of NANB infections were associated with injections or surgery but none with transfusion or known contact with hepatitis cases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Endemic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Egypt.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zakaria
authors.forename: R S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Goldsmith
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Zakaria
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Kamel
authors.forename: E H
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: el-Raziky
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004534:Egypt; D005260:Female; D006518:Hepatitis Viruses / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006525:Hepatitis, Viral, Human / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology*; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012698:Serologic Tests