[Clinical features of acute hepatitis G]

Fifty-one patients with acute A, B, C, and non A-C hepatitis were studied. Alcoholic abusers and drug-induced hepatitis were excluded from non A-C hepatitis. Among 10 patients with acute non A-C hepatitis, 3 were positive for HGV-RNA by nested RT-PCR as primer of 5' non-coding region of HGV. Maximal s-ALT values in acute hepatitis G patients were significantly higher than those in acute hepatitis C(p < 0.05), but not different from those in acute hepatitis A and B. Although HGV-RNA was demonstrated after 9 years of onset of hepatitis in one patient, non of three patients took chronic course. In one patient, route of transmission was assumed to be blood transfusion.