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Liver transplant evaluation for fulminant liver failure due to acute hepatitis A infection: Case series and literature review
Author(s) -
Navarro Maria Eugenia D.,
Yao Christine C.,
Whiteley Adam,
Movahedi Babak,
Devuni Deepika,
Barry Curtis,
Zacharias Isabel,
Theodoropoulos Nicole M.,
Bozorgzadeh Adel,
Martins Paulo N.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
transplant infectious disease
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.69
H-Index - 67
eISSN - 1399-3062
pISSN - 1398-2273
DOI - 10.1111/tid.13476
Subject(s) - medicine , fulminant hepatic failure , fulminant hepatitis , fulminant , hepatitis a , liver transplantation , hepatic encephalopathy , viral hepatitis , encephalopathy , intensive care medicine , economic shortage , hepatitis , pediatrics , transplantation , cirrhosis , linguistics , philosophy , government (linguistics)
Abstract Hepatitis A virus can cause liver damage ranging from mild illness to fulminant hepatic failure, constituting 0.35% of all cases of fulminant liver failure. While rates of spontaneous remission are higher for hepatitis A, recent outbreaks attributable to vaccine shortages in highly populated urban cities plagued by insufficient affordable housing and inaccessible sanitation, and changes in the epidemiology of viral strains have resulted in increased hospitalizations and deaths. While the prognosis for patients with FHF has improved since the introduction of transplantation, the decision to transplant is often difficult to reach. We present five patients with HAV and subsequent FHF, one of whom successfully received a liver transplant. We have reviewed all published cases of HAV FHF in the literature and report ten patients, seven of whom received liver transplantation. There are few predictive models that attempt to distinguish between fulminant hepatitis A and spontaneous recovery. Patients found to have positive hepatitis A IgM, encephalopathy, worsening LFT’s and coagulation should be monitored closely and referred to transplant centers urgently for management.