[Viral hepatitis in patients over 60 years of age. Clinical, etiologic and developmental aspects]

The authors report a retrospective study of 78 cases of acute viral hepatitis observed from 1971 to 1985 in patients over 60. Viral hepatitis involved males as often as females. A, B, delta and non-A, non-B viruses were responsible for 11.5, 23.1, 5.1 and 60.3 p. cent of cases, respectively. From 1975 on, the frequency of non-A non-B viral hepatitis has reached 85 p. cent while blood transfusions appeared as the most important route of transmission. Outcome was severe in 10.3 p. cent of cases. Early in the course of disease, the risk of progression to cirrhosis was obvious and concerned 12 patients (1 out of 18 with B hepatitis, 3 out of 4 with D hepatitis, 8 out of 47 non-A non-B hepatitis). The long term prognosis (from three to five years) was not as poor as stated in previous studies.