Severe acute hepatitis E in an HIV infected patient: Successful treatment with ribavirin.

Abstract

In industrialized countries, most cases of hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection in humans are autochthonous, mainly through foodborne and zoonotic transmission routes. In Europe, genotype 3 is a cause of acute self-limiting viral hepatitis, but can also be responsible for chronic hepatitis in immunocompromised patients. Ribavirin has been successfully used in the treatment of chronic hepatitis E and in a few cases of severe acute hepatitis E in immunocompetent patients. We report here the case of a 39 year-old man infected with HIV presenting with acute hepatitis E (genotype 3c). Unlike most cases, evolution was severe with a fall of prothrombin time down to 45%. Treatment with ribavirin allowed rapid viral clearance and a gradual normalization of liver function tests.

• Authors: A Robbins, D Lambert, F Ehrhard, V Brodard, M Hentzien, D Lebrun, Y Nguyen, T Tabary, J M Peron, J Izopet, F Bani-Sadr
• Journal: Journal of clinical virology : the official publication of the Pan American Society for Clinical Virology (J Clin Virol) Vol. 60 Issue 4 Pg. 422-3 (Aug 2014) ISSN: 1873-5967 [Electronic] Netherlands
• PMID: 24894604 (Publication Type: Case Reports, Journal Article)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Chemical References

• Hepatitis Antibodies
• RNA, Viral
• Ribavirin
• Alanine Transaminase
• Bilirubin

Topics

• Adult
• Alanine Transaminase (blood)
• Bilirubin (blood)
• CD4 Lymphocyte Count
• HIV Infections (complications, virology)
• Hepatitis Antibodies (blood)
• Hepatitis E (complications, drug therapy, virology)
• Humans
• Immunocompromised Host
• Liver Function Tests
• Male
• Prothrombin Time
• RNA, Viral (blood)
• Ribavirin (therapeutic use)
• Viral Load (drug effects)