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Chronic hepatitis A with persistent viral replication
Author(s) -
Inoue Kazuaki,
Yoshiba Makoto,
Yotsuyanagi Hiroshi,
Otsuka Tatsuhiko,
Sekiyama Kazuhiko,
Fujita Rikiya
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
journal of medical virology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.782
H-Index - 121
eISSN - 1096-9071
pISSN - 0146-6615
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1096-9071(199612)50:4<322::aid-jmv7>3.0.co;2-a
Subject(s) - liver biopsy , hepatitis , cirrhosis , medicine , virology , hepatitis a , immunology , hepatitis c , viral hepatitis , gastroenterology , biopsy
Hepatitis A virus (HAV) usually causes an acute self‐limited illness. This report describes a patient with hepatitis A whose serum aminotransferase activities remained above normal and whose serum was persistently positive for immunoglobulin (Ig) M class anti‐hepatitis A 31 months after the onset of hepatitis. Liver biopsy carried out 11 months after the onset of hepatitis showed histological changes consistent with chronic hepatitis of moderate severity. HAV RNA was detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in feces collected at the time of the liver biopsy. Furthermore, the patient developed esophageal varices 25 months after the onset of hepatitis. We believe this to be the first reported case in which persistent replication of HAV is implicated in chronic hepatitis with the potential to develop into liver cirrhosis. © 1996 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.