title: Acute non A-E hepatitis in eastern Sicily: the natural history and the role of hepatitis G virus.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The etiology and the natural history of acute non A-E hepatitis is still undefined.
  
  
  METHODS
  We examined the prevalence of HGV viraemia and the long-term outcome in 54 patients with non A-E acute hepatitis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  HGV-RNA was found in 19 out of 54 (35%) patients. There was no difference between HGV-RNA positives and negatives in terms of age sex, parenteral risk factors and alanine amino-transferase peak level. Gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase levels were higher in the HGV-RNA positive group. During a 3-year follow up, 10 out of 54 (18.5%) patients progressed to chronic hepatitis and 4 out of 10 (40%) had an histologically advanced disease. None of the 19 subjects infected with HGV showed a chronic evolution of liver disease.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results confirm the limited role of HGV as the etiological agent of non A-E acute hepatitis. The great majority of non A-E hepatitis cases are yet of undetermined origin and unfortunately, are characterized by a high rate of progression to chronic active hepatitis.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Infectious Diseases, University of Catania, Italy.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cacopardo
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Nunnari
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Berger
authors.forename: H W
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Doer
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Russo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D029407:GB virus C; D006525:Hepatitis, Viral, Human / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012802:Sicily / Q000453:epidemiology