Role of non-hepatotropic viruses in acute sporadic viral hepatitis and acute-on-chronic liver failure in adults

Acute viral hepatitis (AVH) is mostly caused by hepatitis E (HEV) and hepatitis A (HAV) viruses in India. This study was undertaken to find out the incidence of various hepatotropic and non-hepatotropic viruses in AVH and acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) patients.

Six-hundred and seventy-three adult patients of AVH and ACLF were screened for acute serological markers of hepatotropic (A, B, C, D, and E) and the non-hepatotropic cytomegalovirus (CMV) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV).

Viral etiology profile in 295 samples with confirmed etiology were HEV in 155 (52.5 %); HAV in 43 (14.5 %); HBV in 35 (11.8 %); HCV in 1 (0.3 %); mixed viral etiology in 30 (10.1 %); and non-hepatotropic viruses, cytomegalovirus, and Epstein-Barr virus in 31 (10.5 %). Two-hundred and six patients (69.8 %) were AVH and 89 (30.1 %) ACLF. HEV was the commonest cause of infection in both the groups AVH (n = 95, 46.1 %) and ACLF (n = 60, 67.4 %). Twenty-nine (9.8 %) patients died on follow up; mortality was higher in ACLF (25/89, 28 %) than AVH group (4/206, 1.94 %; p < 0.001). The mortality was higher when HEV was the cause of acute event (20/29, 68.9 %). In AVH, mixed infection was more common as compared to ACLF (27 vs. 3, p < 0.001). Non-hepatotropic viruses contributed significantly higher infections in AVH as compared to ACLF (29 vs. 2, p = 0.002) patients.

HEV was an important cause of symptomatic hepatitis in both AVH and ACLF patients. Non-hepatotropic viruses like CMV and EBV were identified in a significant number of patients with AVH and much less frequently in ACLF.