Recent outbreaks of severe hepatitis A virus infections in Vienna.

ABSTRACT: To explore the epidemiology and clinical course of hepatitis A virus (HAV) infections at the Vienna General Hospital. We retrospectively identified patients who were tested positive for HAV-IgM at the Vienna General Hospital form Q1/2008 to Q3/2018. Our definition of severe HAV infection was AST and/or ALT >?5 × above the upper limit of normal (ULN); and liver dysfunction as (i) hepatic encephalopathy or ammonia >?100 ?mol/L, (ii) coagulopathy with INR?>?1.5, or (iii) jaundice with bilirubin >?5 mg/dL. A total of 578 HAV-IgM (+) were identified, including 31 (5.4%) and 38 (6.6%) without and with liver dysfunction, respectively. A proportional increase in severe HAV cases with and without liver dysfunction occurred in 2016/2017 with (21.5% (vs. 8.0% in the years before; p?

SUBMITTER: Bauer D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7817601 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature