All issues > Volume 21(5); 1978

Original Article

J Korean Pediatr Soc. 1978;21(5):376-388. Published online May 31, 1978.

A Clinical Observation of Infectious Hepatitis in Children.

Teak Sae Lee, Jong Youl Kim, Tea Myung Kim, Young Hea Park

¹Department of Pediatrics, Fatima Hospital, Korea.

Abstract

We performed a clinical observation on the 208 cases of infectious hepatitis who were cared at the pediatric department of Fatima Hospital from July, 1, 1970, to June, 30, 1977, and obtained the following results. 1. The ratio of infectious hepatitis to the total number of in-patients was 3.25 in average. 2. There was no significant difference in seasonal incidence except spring when the incidence was lower than the other seasons. 3. The age-group of 3~8 years old occupied 69% of the total cases and sex incidence revealed mali predominence with the ratio about 2:1. 4. The frequently observed clinical manifestations included ; Anorexia(71%)Nausea/Vomiting(65%), Tiredness(53%), Dark urine(59%), Abdominal pain(54%), Fever(45%), Jaundice(75%), Hepatomegaly(71%), Tenderness on upper adbomen(40%), and Palpable spleen(12.3%). 5. In the most of the cases the hematologic findings were with-in normal limit. 6. Bilirubinuria was observed in about 65% of the tested cases during the first 2 weeks of the illness and urinary urobilinogen was decreased during the second week of the illness. 7. In the majority of the cases the serum bilirubin reached peak during the second week of the illness and ranged 2~15mg%. And by the end of the 4th week illness, they returned to less than 2mg% in the 85%of the tested cases. 8. SGOT and SGPT reached peak during the first week of the illness and by the end of 4th week, they returned to less than 100 unit in the most the tested cases. And the values of SGOTwere higher than SGOT throughout the course of the illness. 9. The electrophoresis of the serum protein revealed as follow ; 1-globulin decreased slightly and -globulin in creased. 10. We experienced 30 cases (14.4%) of anicteric hepatitis. 11. ABHg was positive in 2(3.8%) of the 52 tested cases. 12. 10 of the 208 cases complicated hepatic coma and 10 of them expired and 3 of them dischared without clinical improvement.

Keywords :