title: [Recent etiology and clinical features of acute viral hepatitis in a single center of Korea].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The etiology of acute viral hepatitis in Korea has been dynamically changing during the recent years. The aim of this study was to investigate the recent etiology and the clinical features of acute viral hepatitis in a single center of Korea.
  
  
  METHODS
  We performed a retrospective analysis of a prospective cohort of 55 patients who were diagnosed with acute viral hepatitis A to E during the period from May 2005 to August 2006. In addition to the clinically acute manifestations, the confirmatory serological tests were performed for the diagnosis of acute hepatitis A, B, C and E.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The proportion of patients with acute viral hepatitis A, B, C, E and others were 56.4% (n=31), 12.7% (n=7), 18.2% (n=10), 9.1% (n=5) and 3.6% (n=2), respectively. The mean age of the patients with acute hepatitis A, B, C and E were 29.1+/-4.38, 38.7+/-11.72, 45.3+/-17.62 and 32.4+/-6.58 years, respectively. There was no fatal case. All cases of acute hepatitis B and six out of ten cases of acute hepatitis C recovered spontaneously. Four out of the five patients with acute hepatitis E had no history of travel to endemic area.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The most common etiology of acute viral hepatitis in Korea is hepatitis A virus, and hepatitis C and B virus were the next most common causes. The sporadic cases of acute hepatitis E were not rare, and coinfection of HAV and HEV was observed. A multicenter, prospective study is warranted in the future.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Korea.
authors.forename: Hyung Min
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Sook Hyang
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Jeong
authors.forename: Jin Wook
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Donhun
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Chang Kyu
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Young Soo
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Jin Hyuk
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.forename: Nayoung
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Dong Ho
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006506:Hepatitis A / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology; D003699:Hepatitis D / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D016751:Hepatitis E / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology; D006518:Hepatitis Viruses / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006525:Hepatitis, Viral, Human / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D007723:Korea; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies