Acute sporadic hepatitis in Sudanese children

Eighty consecutive cases of acute viral hepatitis and 80 controls selected from a public pediatric clinic were entered into a study of acute sporadic hepatitis in Khartoum, Sudan. Study subjects were 14 years of age or younger and were mainly from a low socioeconomic level. Non‐A, non‐B hepatitis was diagnosed by exclusion in 35 (43.8%) patients, hepatitis A in 27 (33.8%), acute hepatitis B in 8 (10.0%), possible Epstein‐Barr virus (EBV) hepatitis in 1 patient; and dual hepatitis A and B infection in 1 patient. Eight acute cases were positive for HBsAg but negative for anti‐HBc IgM and anti‐HAV IgM. Delta hepatitis was not identified in any study subject. A household case of jaundice and acquaintance with an individual outside of the household with jaundice during the prior 6 months were associated with non‐A, non‐B hepatitis. There was no association between parenteral exposure and non‐A, non‐B hepatitis. These findings suggest that enterically transmitted non‐A, non‐B hepatitis may be a major cause of acute sporadic hepatitis in children in this area, as well as a cause of epidemic hepatitis.