Extra Hepatic Manifestations of Viral Hepatitis A

Abstract

BACKGROUND The manifestations of Viral Hepatitis A are not confined to the liver but can involve any part of the body. This is more evident when the disease affects adults when compared to children. There are only a few studies describing the same in viral hepatitis A. We wanted to study the various extra hepatic manifestations of viral hepatitis A. METHODS This is an observational study conducted in Government Medical College, Kozhikode from January 2017 to June 2018. 207 cases of viral hepatitis A in patients older than 13 years admitted over a period of 1.5 years at Government Medical College, Kozhikode, a tertiary care center in South India were included in the study. RESULTS 87 patients of 207 had extra hepatic manifestations during the course of illness. The most common being thrombocytopenia (22.7% of patients) followed by hyponatremia (18.4%), leukocytosis (12.1%), and acute kidney injury (7.7%). Rash, pancreatitis, cholecystitis, myocarditis, macular oedema, HUS and ARDS were also seen. CONCLUSIONS Extra hepatic manifestations are related to more severe disease and hence may be used as a marker of disease severity.