[Hepatitis GBV isolated in acute liver failure. Successful outcome after liver transplantation]

Fulminant hepatic failure is a life-threatening condition associated with a mortality of approximately 80 per cent. Liver transplantation may be the only life-saving recourse in such cases. The condition can be caused by any of a number of different agencies such as viral infection, or toxic, circulatory or metabolic factors, though in a large proportion of cases the aetiology is unknown. Recently, knowledge has accumulated of a new hepatitis virus, hepatitis GB virus (HGBV), a Flavivirus remotely related to hepatitis C. The clinical significance of this virus is unclear. It is found in 3-4 per cent of blood donors, and most HGBV-positive patients are asymptomatic though some develop fulminant hepatic failure. The article consists in a case report of fulminant hepatic failure in a 17-year-old woman where no possible aetiological factor could be identified, other than her HGBV-positivity. The patient underwent a successful liver transplantation and is now, 18 months later, in excellent condition. She is still HGBV-positive but manifests no hepatic effects. Whether HGBV infection was responsible for the hepatic failure remains unclear, however.