[Acute, chronic and fulminant hepatitisE: seven years of experience (2004-2011)]

To study the clinical and epidemiological profiles of in 43cases of acute hepatitis, 5cases of fulminant hepatitis, and one of chronic hepatitis due to hepatitis E virus (HEV), detected over a 7-year period.

Forty-nine individuals (33male and 10female) treated between 2004 and 2011 in the Hospital Ramón y Cajal (Comunidad de Madrid, Spain). The diagnosis was made by the detection of IgG and IgM anti-HEV and RNA HEV in serum samples. Acute hepatitisE was defined by the presence of IgM anti-HEV and/or RNA HEV in serum, and chronic hepatitisE if the ARN was detectable more than 6months. Fulminant hepatitisE was diagnosed if encephalopathy was observed in addition to IgM anti-HEV and/or RNA HEV in serum.

The median age was 46.67 and 49.6years in acute hepatitisE and fulminant hepatitisE, respectively. The risk factors recorded were travel to endemic areas in 13patients, 4were in contact with animals, 4suffered from hepatic steatosis due to alcohol consumption, 3consumed uncontrolled foods, and 2drank water from streams.

HEV is the cause of acute self-limited hepatitis, although 36.73% of the studied cases had to be hospitalised. However a small number of patients, 10.2%, had fulminant hepatitis requiring liver transplant. Chronic hepatitisE is very infrequent in immunocompetent individuals. The increase in incidence of hepatitisE is due to the introduction of better diagnostic tests in recent years.