Dengue virus infection: a major cause of acute hepatic failure in Thai children.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Acute hepatic failure (AHF) can be caused by a variety of viruses, drugs, toxins and metabolic disorders.

AIMS:

A prospective study was conducted to determine the aetiology and outcome of AHF in Thai children aged 1-15 years.

METHODS:

All serum samples were tested for anti-HAV IgM, HBsAg, anti-HBc IgM, anti-HCV, anti-HEV IgM and anti-dengue IgG and IgM. Further individual investigations were done according to the clinical impression.

RESULTS:

Forty subjects were enrolled from 14 centres during February 2000 to December 2001. Five cases were excluded owing to a lack of evidence of encephalopathy. The causes of AHF were dengue infection in 12 (34.3%), Wilson disease in 2 (5.7%), T-cell lymphoma in 2 (5.7%), ischaemic hepatitis in two (5.7%), haemophagocytic syndrome in one (2.8%), CMV in 2 (5.7%), Reye syndrome in one (2.8%) and unknown in 13 (37.1%) patients. The fatality rate was 68.6%. Eight of 24 (33.3%) deaths were caused by dengue infection.

CONCLUSIONS:

Improvements in sanitation and socio-economic status as well as the implementation of hepatitis B vaccine in the Extended Programme on Immunization (EPI) are likely to be the reasons for the observed absence of AHF caused by hepatitis A and B. The study showed that dengue infection, on the other hand, was a major cause of AHF in Thailand.

• Authors: Yong Poovorawan, Yanee Hutagalung, Voranush Chongsrisawat, Irving Boudville, Hans L Bock
• Journal: Annals of tropical paediatrics (Ann Trop Paediatr) Vol. 26 Issue 1 Pg. 17-23 (Mar 2006) ISSN: 0272-4936 [Print] England
• PMID: 16494700 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Multicenter Study, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Biomarkers

Topics

• Acute Disease
• Adolescent
• Biomarkers (blood)
• Child
• Child, Preschool
• Dengue (complications, epidemiology, mortality)
• Female
• Hepatitis (virology)
• Humans
• Infant
• Liver Failure, Acute (etiology, mortality, virology)
• Male
• Prognosis
• Prospective Studies
• Thailand (epidemiology)