Non-A, non-B hepatitis: a new syndrome in uraemic patients

One hundred patients on chronic haemodialysis were studied prospectively over one year for evidence of hepatitis and of infection with hepatitis A or B virus. Five patients developed transient elevations of SGPT, accompanied by a consistent pattern of clinical manifestations, including low-grade fever, anorexia, nausea, hepatomegaly, and hypotension during dialysis. None of these patients had a positive test for A or B virus infection. Non-A non-B hepatitis appears to cause a specific syndrome in uraemic patients, and its transmission in a dialysis unit seems unrelated to blood transfusions.