ABSTRACT
Because hepatitis A infection may be more severe in patients with chronic liver disease, we vaccinated 33 children who were chronic HBsAg carriers against hepatitis A virus. Anti-hepatitis A virus seroconversion rates after the first, second, and third doses were 90.9%, 96.9%, and 100%, respectively.
Subject(s)
Hepatitis A/prevention & control , Hepatitis B Surface Antigens/analysis , Hepatitis B virus/immunology , Hepatitis B, Chronic/immunology , Viral Hepatitis Vaccines/administration & dosage , Adolescent , Carrier State , Child , Child, Preschool , Female , Hepatitis A/immunology , Hepatitis A Vaccines , Humans , Male , Vaccination , Viral Hepatitis Vaccines/immunologyABSTRACT
Infection with the hepatitis G virus (HGV), as indicated by the presence of HGV ribonucleic acid, was sought in 57 children with chronic hepatitis C virus infection. HGV infection was found in 2 children (3.5%), or 14% of the babies whose mothers were former drug abusers. Maternal drug abuse is an important risk factor for hepatitis G and C virus coinfection in children in our area.
Subject(s)
Flaviviridae , Hepatitis C/complications , Hepatitis, Viral, Human/complications , Hepatitis, Viral, Human/virology , Adolescent , Child , Child, Preschool , Chronic Disease , DNA, Viral , Female , Flaviviridae/genetics , Genotype , Hepacivirus/genetics , Hepatitis C/diagnosis , Hepatitis, Viral, Human/diagnosis , Humans , Infant , Male , RNA, Viral , Risk FactorsABSTRACT
Antibodies to hepatitis C virus (HCV), investigated by second- and third-generation assays, were detected in 74% of 43 children with chronic non-A, non-B hepatitis. The polymerase chain reaction identified HCV ribonucleic acid in 26 (93%) of 28 seropositive and in 1 of 10 seronegative cases. Intermittent HCV ribonucleic acid positivity, suggesting low and fluctuating viremia, was frequent in younger patients.
Subject(s)
Hepacivirus/isolation & purification , Hepatitis Antibodies/analysis , Hepatitis C/virology , Polymerase Chain Reaction , Viremia/virology , Adolescent , Child , Child, Preschool , Chronic Disease , Female , Hepacivirus/physiology , Hepatitis C/genetics , Hepatitis C/immunology , Hepatitis C Antibodies , Humans , Male , RNA, Viral/analysis , Viremia/genetics , Viremia/immunology , Virus ReplicationABSTRACT
Twenty-three children, aged 3 to 15 years, with chronic delta hepatitis have been followed for 5 to 12 years to evaluate long-term outcome. Although 83% of patients had chronic active hepatitis when first seen, with cirrhosis in 26%, the clinical and biochemical features of the disease remained reasonably stable during observation; liver histologic findings, obtained in 14 patients, worsened in only two.
Subject(s)
Hepatitis D/physiopathology , Hepatitis, Chronic/physiopathology , Adolescent , Child , Child, Preschool , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Hepatitis D/pathology , Hepatitis D/therapy , Hepatitis, Chronic/pathology , Hepatitis, Chronic/therapy , Humans , Interferon Type I/therapeutic use , Liver/pathology , Male , Recombinant Proteins , Remission Induction , Remission, Spontaneous , Time FactorsABSTRACT
We observed 45 children with a history of neonatal cholestasis associated with alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency (phenotype PiZ). Twenty-five developed cirrhosis (group 1), and in the other 20, without cirrhosis (group 2), the outcome was considered to be good. Certain clinical, biochemical, and histologic features of each group were studied to permit early assessment of hepatic evolution. Liver biopsy showed that fibrosis was more frequent and severe in group 1 during neonatal cholestasis. Later this group was characterized by possible persistence of jaundice, early development of splenomegaly, and persistence of hard hepatomegaly and liver function abnormalities. Of the latter, sustained elevation of SGPT and direct bilirubin values were the most striking findings. The characteristics of group 2 were harder to identify: clinical recovery and return to normal biochemical values were always signs of a good outcome, as confirmed by the histologic findings; on the other hand, although some of the children in this group without cirrhosis had only minimal abnormalities, histologic evidence of significant portal fibrosis in some patients made long-term prognosis less certain.