Clinical Manifestations, Laboratory Data, and Epidemiologic Characteristics of Children With Hepatitis A

Hepatitis A is the most common type of hepatitis in developing countries with a wide range of clinical features. The aim of this study was to evaluate clinical findings and epidemiologic characteristics of children with hepatitis A in in the southwest part of Iran. A total of 105 patients with hepatitis A (53 males and 52 females) were enrolled in this study. The mean age of patients was 7.02 years (range, 4 months to 13 years). The majority of patients (81.9%) were in the age group of two to ten years. The disease occurred more frequently in summer and spring (71.5%). In a retrospective study, we reviewed the medical records of all children with acute hepatitis A (positive anti-hepatitis A virus IgM) who had been admitted to the main children’s hospital in Ahvaz, southwest Iran from March 2005 to March 2010. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 21. The main clinical findings included jaundice (80%), vomiting (75.2%), fever (62.8%), and hepatomegaly (37.1%). The mean of the paraclinical parameters were as follows: ALT, 22.38 μkat/L; AST, 19.40 μkat/L; and bilirubin, 179.60 μmol/L. Mean duration of hospital stay was 4.7 days. All patients cured with supportive therapy. There was not any case of fulminant hepatitis, chronic hepatitis, or death. Hepatitis A was a relatively common disease in children in Southwest Iran. The disease is more prevalent in children younger than ten years. The prognosis is excellent with low mortality and morbidity.