[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.
Department of Internal Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Jeong Han
JH
Kim
Hyung Joon
HJ
Yim
Seung Young
SY
Kim
Jae Hong
JH
Ahn
Young Kul
YK
Jung
Moon Kyung
MK
Joo
Su Hyun
SH
Kim
Ji Hoon
JH
Kim
Yeon Seok
YS
Seo
Jong Eun
JE
Yeon
Hong Sik
HS
Lee
Soon Ho
SH
Um
Sang Woo
SW
Lee
Kwan Soo
KS
Byun
Jae Hyun
JH
Choi
Ho Sang
HS
Ryu
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