Posttransfusion non-A, non-B hepatitis. A prospective study.
We have prospectively studied the clinical data, prognostic factors and chronic liver sequelae in 68 patients who developed posttransfusion non-A, non-B hepatitis. The mean incubation period was 5.9 weeks with a range from 2.1 to 12 weeks; 63.5% of the patients were asymptomatic and 60.6% anicteric. The chronicity rate (elevated ALT values for a period of more than 6 months) was 67.6%. The chronicity rate of symptomatic hepatitis (95.5%) was significantly higher than that of asymptomatic hepatitis (54.5%) (P less than 0.01). Monophasic hepatitis, characterized by a rapid elevation in serum ALT followed by a rapid decline with no further fluctuations, had a chronicity rate (42.5%) significantly lower than polyphasic hepatitis (86.6%) (P less than 0.05) and plateau type hepatitis (94.4%) (P less than 0.01). Results of 35 liver biopsies carried out among 46 patients with elevated ALT after 6 months were as follows: chronic active hepatitis, 15 cases; prolonged acute hepatitis, 12 cases; chronic persistent hepatitis, 6 cases; posthepatitis liver changes, 1 case; and secondary hemosiderosis, 1 case.
D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000145:classification / Q000201:enzymology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D006525:Hepatitis, Viral, Human / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D065227:Transfusion Reaction
D000410:Alanine Transaminase