Acute HEV hepatitis: clinical and laboratory diagnosis

Giuseppe Marrone, Marco Biolato, Giovanna Mercurio, M. R. Capobianchi, A. R. Garbuglia, Antonio Liguori, G. Vassallo, Antonio Gasbarrini, Luca Miele, Antonio Grieco*

*Corresponding author

Research output: Contribution to journalArticle

6 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Hepatitis E Virus (HEV) is probably the most common cause of acute hepatitis worldwide. It has been regarded for a long time as a disease limited to developing countries. Recently, the refinement of diagnostic techniques, on the one hand, and migratory flows, on the other hand, have also led to the identification of an increased number of HEV infections in industrialized countries. Four HEV genotypes have been identified across the world, with different epidemiological burdens and a wide range of clinical presentations. Here, we report a case series of acute HEV hepatitis observed in the last three years in our hospital. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We performed a search for HEV IgM and IgG in all subjects admitted for acute hepatitis without evidence of other possible infectious, toxic or metabolic causes of liver damage. In subjects with HEV IgM positivity, the search for HEV-RNA was performed. RESULTS: We diagnosed eight acute HEV infections: 2 epidemic and 6 sporadic forms. HEV-RNA was detected in serum in 2 cases. CONCLUSIONS: HEV infection appears to be a cause of acute hepatitis that we must keep in mind even in developed countries.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)764-770
Number of pages7
JournalEuropean Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences
Volume23
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2019

Keywords

  • HEV
  • acute hepatitis

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