Hepatitis A super infection as a cause of liver failure in a child with Wilson's disease.
Infection with hepatitis A virus can cause severe or even fatal illness in patients with chronic liver disease. Here we describe a seven-year-old girl who presented as acute liver failure and was diagnosed with Wilson's disease and later with coexistent hepatitis A infection. Wilson's disease was demonstrated on the basis of low ceruloplasmin, high urinary copper excretion, histological evidence of cirrhosis, and high biochemical estimation of liver copper concentration. Hepatitis A was diagnosed serologically. Our case suggests that acute hepatitis A may play a part in the acute decompensation seen in some cases of unrecognized Wilson's disease. We also emphasize the importance of prevention measures of hepatitis A infection in patients with chronic liver disease.
Ozçay
Figen
F
Department of Pediatrics, Başkent University, Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.
Canan
Oğuz
O
Akcan
Bariş
B
Bilezikçi
Banu
B
D002648:Child; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005260:Female; D006506:Hepatitis A / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D006527:Hepatolenticular Degeneration / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D017114:Liver Failure, Acute / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*