Prevalence Of Hepatitis E Virus Infection In Acute Viral Hepatitis In K.T.H A Period Between October 2004 – April 2005

Abstract

Hepatitis E virus (HEV), the major aetiologic agent of enterically transmitted non A, non B hepatitis worldwide. During the period between October 2004 and April 2005 a cross sectional hospital – based study, was conducted in Khartoum Teaching Hospital to investigate the prevalence of acute hepatitis E among Sudanese patients presenting with acute hepatitis. All patients presented with acute hepatitis were screened for viral hepatitis (A, B, C, E). Eleven out of fifty patients studied patients were found to have hepatitis E IgM antibodies (22%). In our study no difference was found in the clinical presentation between hepatitis E infection and other viral hepatitis, nevertheless, a high incidence of fulminant hepatic failure was observed in patients with hepatitis E infection (2 out of 11 patients).