title: Etiology of fulminant viral hepatitis in Greece.
abstract: The etiology of fulminant viral hepatitis was determined in 65 consecutive cases among 1,814 (3.58%) adults with acute viral hepatitis who were admitted to the Infectious Diseases Hospital of Athens from May, 1981 to August, 1983. Radioimmunoassays were used to detect hepatitis B virus, hepatitis A virus and delta-agent markers. Enzyme immunoassay was used to detect anti-HBc IgM. Hepatitis B virus was responsible for 48 (73.9%), non-A, non-B for 16 (24.6%) and hepatitis A virus for one case (1.5%). The use of anti-HBc IgM identified 10 cases of fulminant type B hepatitis among HBsAg negative, anti-HBc and anti-HBs positive patients. Fulminant non-A, non-B hepatitis was superimposed on 10 asymptomatic HBsAg carriers; delta-agent co-infection was diagnosed in two fulminant type B hepatitis cases. These data show that hepatitis B virus is the major cause of fulminant hepatitis in Greece. HBsAg carriers are at high risk for fulminant non-A, non-B hepatitis. delta-agent does not seem to be as important as in Italy and other countries.
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005260:Female; D006115:Greece; D006501:Hepatic Encephalopathy / Q000453:epidemiology; D006506:Hepatitis A / Q000175:diagnosis; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000175:diagnosis; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies / Q000032:analysis; D006511:Hepatitis B Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000175:diagnosis; D006525:Hepatitis, Viral, Human / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality; D006507:Hepatovirus / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000032:analysis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies; D006511:Hepatitis B Antigens; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; D007075:Immunoglobulin M