Chronic viral hepatitis in thalassemic liver disease. A long-term study in patients with acute hepatitis with nontransfusion-dependent thalassemia minor.
To evaluate the effective role of hepatitis viruses in thalassemic (Th) liver disease, we carried out a long-term study in 42 subjects with nontransfusion-dependent Th minor hospitalized for an episode of acute viral hepatitis. 10 patients had serologic evidence of hepatitis A, 23 of hepatitis B and 9 of hepatitis non-A, non-B. In the follow-up chronic hepatitis was detected histologically in 5/23 patients with hepatitis B and 5/9 with hepatitis non-A, non-B. All hepatitis A patients recovered completely. The prevalence in 7 out of 10 patients with chronic hepatitis of piecemeal necrosis and of inflammatory changes over hepatic siderosis and fibrosis evidenced a determinant role of chronic viral infection in the development of liver damage in these patients. Thus, heterozygous nontransfusion-dependent Th patients seem to have a high risk of developing a chronic inflammatory liver disease especially after an episode of non-A, non-B hepatitis. Therefore, in our geographical area, chronic hepatitis of viral origin should be taken into account, among other pathogenetic factors, in many cases of cryptogenic thalassemic liver disease.
D000208:Acute Disease; D001803:Blood Transfusion; D006506:Hepatitis A / Q000150:complications; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology; D006521:Hepatitis, Chronic / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology; D008134:Long-Term Care; D011241:Prednisone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013789:Thalassemia / Q000150:complications* / Q000628:therapy
D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; D011241:Prednisone