Related Experiment Videos
[Non-A-E acute and chronic hepatitis in Japan]
M Kobayashi1, E Tanaka, K Kiyosawa
1Second Department of Internal Medicine, Shinshu University School of Medicine.
Insights
Non-A-E hepatitis remains a concern, particularly in acute sporadic cases (20%) and chronic hepatitis (5%) in Japan. While Hepatitis G virus is a minor cause, further investigation into unidentified viral agents is warranted.
Area of Science:
- Hepatology
- Virology
- Epidemiology
Context:
- Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a primary cause of non-A, non-B hepatitis.
- A subset of viral hepatitis patients remain seronegative for hepatitis A, B, C, D, or E.
- Post-transfusion hepatitis incidence has significantly decreased due to advanced blood screening.
Purpose:
- To report on epidemiological studies of non-A-E hepatitis in Japan.
- To analyze the prevalence and characteristics of hepatitis cases not attributable to known hepatitis viruses.
- To investigate the role of newly discovered viruses like Hepatitis G virus.
Summary:
- Epidemiological studies in Japan reveal that approximately 20% of acute sporadic hepatitis cases are classified as non-A-E.
- Around 5% of chronic hepatitis patients are negative for both hepatitis B virus (HBV) and HCV markers.
- Non-A-E acute sporadic hepatitis cases tend to present with milder clinical symptoms.
- Hepatitis G virus was identified as a minor contributor to non-A-E hepatitis cases.
Impact:
- Highlights the continued prevalence of non-A-E hepatitis, necessitating further research into causative agents.
- Demonstrates the effectiveness of current screening methods in reducing post-transfusion hepatitis.
- Provides crucial data for understanding the landscape of viral hepatitis in Japan and informing public health strategies.
Abstract:
It has been clarified that hepatitis C virus(HCV) is the major cause of acute and chronic non-A, non-B hepatitis. However, it is also clear that there still exist a group of patients with viral hepatitis who are seronegative for hepatitis A, B, C, D or E virus infections. In this article, epidemiological studies on such non-A-E hepatitis in Japan are reported. Since the introduction of blood screening with hepatitis B virus(HBV) core antibody and HCV antibody in addition to HBV surface antigen, incidence of posttransfusion hepatitis decreased remarkably to a level less than 1%. Therefore, occurrence of non-A-E posttransfusion is rare in Japan. As for acute sporadic hepatitis, about 20% of the patients were diagnosed as type non-A-E. Those patients with non-A-E acute sporadic hepatitis showed relatively mild hepatitis. About 5% of patients with chronic hepatitis was negative for both markers of HBV and HCV infections. Hepatitis G virus, a newly discovered hepatitis virus, accounted for only a minor part of acute and chronic non-A-E hepatitis.