Mediterranean Journal Of Pharmacy And Pharmaceutical Sciences

Prevalence of acute infectious hepatitis in eastern libyan pediatrics

Authors Details :
Salimah S. Alabeedi ,
Hamza M. Alasbily

49 Views Original Article

Viral hepatitis is one of the main public health concerns around the world. Even though infection management techniques have been implemented over the last few decades, eradication or significant reduction has remained a mystery. The purpose of this study is to look into the prevalence of acute infectious hepatitis in the East of Libya and how the type of virus, age, gender, clinical manifestations, and outcome are related. This is a hospital-based retrospective study. The data on the frequency and distribution of viral hepatitis based on age, gender, seasonal, clinical, and ultrasound findings, and the outcomes during a period of two years from January 2020 to December 2021 were collected and analyzed. Of the 0.39% (72 cases) of total hospital admissions (18340) under the age of 15 years old for acute infectious hepatitis patients, the most common age group was 5-12 years (79.6%). Winter accounted for 41.6% of all the cases. Females made up 65.3% of the cases. Jaundice was the most prevalent presentation (87.5%). Hepatomegaly was seen in 83.3% of the patients. Most of the cases have mild hyperbilirubinemia (5-9 mg/dL, 75.0%). Approximately 1/5th of the patients' serum glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase (SGPT), and nearly 1/3rd of the patients' SGPT levels were in the range of 1000-2000. One patient's hepatitis C was positive, one patient's hepatitis B was positive, and 97.2% were positive for hepatitis A. 88.8% of the individuals recovered without complications, whereas 11.1% showed symptoms of hepatic failure but recovered. The present study indicates that acute hepatitis A is more prevalent, especially in the winter. Those who are females and 5-12 years of age were more affected by acute viral hepatitis in Libya.