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Evidence of ongoing virus multiplication in type B fulminant hepatitis
Author(s) -
GANDHI B.M.,
IRSHAD M.,
ACHARYA S.K.,
JOSHI Y.K.,
TANDON B.N.
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
journal of gastroenterology and hepatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.214
H-Index - 130
eISSN - 1440-1746
pISSN - 0815-9319
DOI - 10.1111/j.1440-1746.1988.tb00229.x
Subject(s) - medicine , fulminant hepatitis , fulminant , hbeag , virology , hepatitis b virus , encephalopathy , multiplication (music) , virus , gastroenterology , immunology , hbsag , physics , acoustics
The presence of HBeAg‐ and HBV‐specific DNA‐polymerase (DNA‐P) activity—regarded as markers of HBV multiplication—were studied in 40 patients with fulminant hepatitis B within 1‐5 days of the onset of hepatic encephalopathy. HBeAg and DNA‐P were detected in three (7 %) and 21 (51%) of the patients respectively. Only three (7%) were positive for anti‐HBs. DNA‐P activity was present in 38.1 % even 10 days after the appearance of icterus. Present findings confirm an ongoing HBV multiplication in about half of the patients of fulminant hepatitis B.