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. 2022 Aug;11(3):153-157.
doi: 10.5582/irdr.2022.01069.

Attention should be paid to acute hepatitis of unknown etiology in children

Guangbin Chen  1 , Hongzhou Lu  2
Affiliations

Attention should be paid to acute hepatitis of unknown etiology in children

Guangbin Chen et al. Intractable Rare Dis Res. 2022 Aug.

Abstract

Since April 5, 2022, an increase in cases of severe acute hepatitis of unknown etiology among children with no underlying conditions was first reported in the United Kingdom (UK). Testing excluded viral hepatitis types A, B, C, D, and E and other known common and uncommon infectious and non-infectious causes of acute hepatitis. As of May 26, 2022, 650 cases of acute hepatitis of unknown etiology in children have been reported in at least 33 countries worldwide, with 99 additional cases pending classification. Here, the current prevalence of this condition around the world, a hazard analysis, possible causes, the risk of an outbreak in China, and advice on prevention have been briefly reviewed.

Keywords: acute hepatitis of unknown etiology in children; adenovirus infection; epidemic; healthy children; viral hepatitis.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Distribution of probable cases of acute hepatitis of unknown etiology in children by country in five WHO Regions as of May 26, 2022 (n = 650). From the WHO.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Reported cases of acute hepatitis of unknown etiology in children by country in five WHO Regions as of May 26, 2022 (n= 650) and as of April 21, 2022 (n= 169). From the WHO.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Reported cases of acute hepatitis of unknown etiology in children by country in European Region as of June 9, 2022 (n = 402) and as of April 27, 2022 (n = 166). From the ECDC. *Cases in the UK as of April 20, 2022.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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    1. World Health Organization (May 27, 2022). Disease Outbreak News: Acute hepatitis of unknown aetiology in children-Multi-country. https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/DON-389 (accessed June 3, 2022).
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