Etiology, clinical and laboratory characteristics, and outcomes in patients with acute viral hepatitis

Introduction and Aim: Kyrgyzstan is one of the most focused countries in the WHO European Region for acute viral hepatitis. The objective of this study is to evaluate the etiology, clinical and laboratory characteristics, and outcomes in patients with acute viral hepatitis.   Materials and Methods: This is a prospective study conducted on 122 patients with acute viral hepatitis at our hospital from March 2017 to June 2020. The diagnosis of acute viral hepatitis was based on the standard case definition: sudden onset with symptoms of a) acute illness (fever, malaise, weakness); b) liver damage (anorexia, nausea, jaundice, dark urine, right upper quadrant tenderness); c) elevation activity of alanine aminotransferase is more than ten times compared to normal levels.   Results: One hundred and twenty-two patients with acute viral hepatitis, including hepatitis A virus - 44 (36.1%), hepatitis B virus - 45 (36.9%), hepatitis C virus - 11 (9.0%), unspecified etiology - 22 (18, 0%). Patients with unidentified hepatitis, diagnosed through anti-HSV IgG was detected in 19 (86.4%) cases, anti-EBV IgG was detected in 18 (81.8%) cases, and 14 (63.6%) patients with anti-CMV IgG were present.   Conclusion: This study demonstrates the need to consider herpes viruses in the differential diagnosis of patients with unspecified liver lesions.