title: Fulminant B viral hepatitis: role of delta agent.
abstract: The prevalence of delta-markers among 71 patients with fulminant B viral hepatitis was found to be 33.8%. The majority of the patients with delta-markers showed serologic evidence of simultaneous acute delta-infection and B viral infection. Only 5 of the 24 patients with serologic markers of acute delta-infection in this fulminant group were presumably infected chronically with hepatitis B virus as shown by the absence of immunoglobulin M antibody to hepatitis B core antigen. A study of serologic markers of acute delta-infection among 118 patients with nonfulminant acute B viral hepatitis, in contrast, revealed only 4.2% incidence. This significant difference in the prevalence of simultaneous acute B and delta viral infections between the fulminant and the nonfulminant acute hepatitis groups indicates a higher morbidity rate associated with simultaneous infection. When the fulminant group was divided into acute B viral infection without delta-markers (subgroup 1), simultaneous acute B and delta-infections (subgroup 2), and chronic asymptomatic B with acute delta-infections (subgroup 3), for comparison of survival data, the mortality rate was not significantly different in the first two groups when the patients were age matched.
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002353:Carrier State / Q000276:immunology; D002648:Child; D006501:Hepatic Encephalopathy / Q000209:etiology; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology* / Q000401:mortality; D006511:Hepatitis B Antigens / Q000032:analysis*; D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D035923:Hepatitis delta Antigens; D006801:Humans; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000032:analysis; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D006511:Hepatitis B Antigens; D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; D035923:Hepatitis delta Antigens; D007075:Immunoglobulin M