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Multicenter Study
. 2011 Dec;17(4):307-12.
doi: 10.3350/kjhep.2011.17.4.307.

Clinical features of acute viral hepatitis B in Korea: a multi-center study

Hye Jin Choi  1 , Soon Young Ko, Won Hyeok Choe, Yeon Seok Seo, Ji Hoon Kim, Kwan Soo Byun, Young Seok Kim, Seung Up Kim, Soon Koo Baik, Jae Youn Cheong, Tae Yeob Kim, Oh Sang Kwon, Jeong Han Kim, Chang Hong Lee, So Young Kwon
Affiliations
Multicenter Study

Clinical features of acute viral hepatitis B in Korea: a multi-center study

Hye Jin Choi et al. Korean J Hepatol. 2011 Dec.

Abstract

Background/aims: The incidence of Hepatitis B has significantly declined since the introduction of an HBV vaccination program. The aim of this study was to investigate recent clinical features of acute viral hepatitis B (AVH-B) in Korea.

Methods: A total of 2241 patients with acute viral hepatitis were enrolled and their data were collected from nine medical-centers between January 2006 and December 2009.

Results: One hundred nineteen (5.3%) of the 2241 were diagnosed as AVH-B. Among 78 patients with AVH-B whose data were analyzed, 50 were male, and the mean age was 38.6 years. In an initial test, mean AST, ALT and total-bilirubin levels were 1296.2 IU/L, 2109.6 IU/L and 9.3 mg/dl, respectively. Positivity frequencies for HBeAg and anti-HBe were 55.1% and 67.9%, respectively, and the mean HBV DNA level was 5.2 log10 copies/ml. The mean length of hospitalization was 11.6 days. During follow-up, AST, ALT and total bilirubin levels were normalized or near-normalized in all patients without serious complications. Sixty-three of 66 (95.4%) patients showed HBsAg loss and 37 (56.1%) patients showed HBsAg seroconversion. Only 3 patients (4.5%) showed persistent hepatitis B viremia. There was no case of death or liver transplantation. Nine patients (11.3%) had received anti-viral agents and their clinical outcomes were not significantly different from those of patients treated without antiviral agents.

Conclusions: The prevalence of AVH-B among acute hepatitis patients is relatively low in Korea. AVH-B infection can be cured without complications in almost all patients, regardless of antiviral treatment.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Etiology distribution of acute viral hepatitis.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Age distribution of acute viral hepatitis B.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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