[Changes in liver stiffness after acute or chronic liver injury due to viral hepatitis--does fibrosis exist after recovery from acute viral hepatitis?].
OBJECTIVE
Liver stiffness (LS) measurement by transient elastography can estimate the degrees of liver fibrosis in patients with chronic liver disease. However, longitudinal data of LS after recovery of acute viral hepatitis are still lacking. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate among LS of patients at various stages of viral hepatitis and normal control.


METHODS
Patients who had admitted at Korea University Ansan Hospital between January 2006 and January 2007 due to acute viral hepatitis and recovered were recruited (group A, n=22). We compared the liver biochemistry and LS of group A with those of healthy control group (group B, n=23), current acute viral hepatitis group (group C, n=49), and chronic viral hepatitis group (group D, n=66).


RESULTS
Mean ALT, total bilirubin, and LS level of group A were not different from group B (p=0.318, p=0.116, p=0.125, respectively). However, group A had lower ALT, total bilirubin, and LS values compared to group C (all p<0.001), and lower ALT and LS values compared to group D (p=0.007, p<0.001). The mean total bilirubin was not significantly different from group D (p=0.117).


CONCLUSIONS
Our data suggest that liver fibrosis is a long-term sequela of chronic hepatitis, and not developed in patients who recovered from acute viral hepatitis.
Kim
Jeong Han
JH
Department of Internal Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Yim
Hyung Joon
HJ
Kim
Seung Young
SY
Ahn
Jae Hong
JH
Jung
Young Kul
YK
Joo
Moon Kyung
MK
Kim
Su Hyun
SH
Kim
Ji Hoon
JH
Seo
Yeon Seok
YS
Yeon
Jong Eun
JE
Lee
Hong Sik
HS
Um
Soon Ho
SH
Lee
Sang Woo
SW
Byun
Kwan Soo
KS
Choi
Jae Hyun
JH
Ryu
Ho Sang
HS
D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D001663:Bilirubin / Q000032:analysis; D002353:Carrier State; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004548:Elasticity; D054459:Elasticity Imaging Techniques; D005260:Female; D006525:Hepatitis, Viral, Human / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000201:enzymology; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000821:virology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
D000410:Alanine Transaminase; D001663:Bilirubin