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Clinical characteristics of 159 cases of acute toxic hepatitis

Sun Hyung Kang , Jeong Il Kim , Kyung Hye Jeong , Kwang Hoon Ko , Pyung Gohn Ko , Se Woong Hwang , Eun Mi Kim , Seok Hyun Kim , Heon Young Lee , Byung Seok Lee
CMH 2008;14(4):483-492. Published online: December 31, 2008
Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, College of Medicine, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, Korea
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Abstract

Backgrounds/Aims
Toxic hepatitis has recently been discovered to be a major cause of acute hepatitis. We studied the clinical features and prognosis of patients diagnosed with toxic hepatitis at a single institution. Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed using medical records of 159 cases of toxic hepatitis that were diagnosed from March 2003 to March 2008. Patients were selected based on a RUCAM score of 4 or above. Results: The incidence was higher in women (n=97) than in men (n=62). The age (mean±SD) of the patients was 51±15 years. The major causes of the disease included the use of Korean traditional therapeutic preparations (34.0%), herbal medicines (41.5%), and drugs prescribed by a physician (23.9%). At the time of admission, jaundice was the most common symptom (41.5%), and the results of a liver serum battery were as follows: aspartate aminotransferase, 729.4±877.0 IU/L; alanine aminotransferase, 857.1±683.0 IU/L; total bilirubin, 6.4±6.5 mg/dL; and alkaline phosphatase, 209.8±130.0 IU/L. The hospitalization period was 10.0±9.5 days, and the duration of recovery from liver injury was 31.0±29.5 days. The factors associated with the hospitalization period included the presence of anorexia and the serum levels of albumin and bilirubin at the time of admission (P<0.05). A high serum bilirubin level and a history of alcohol ingestion were associated with a delayed recovery (P<0.05). The sex, age, BMI, and duration of medication were not significantly related to the hospitalization and recovery periods. Conclusions: The main cause of acute toxic hepatitis in the current study was the use of herbal medicines. The severity of liver injury at the time of admission was a major factor significantly associated with the hospitalization and recovery periods. (Korean J Hepatol 2008;14:483-492)

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Clinical characteristics of 159 cases of acute toxic hepatitis
Korean J Hepatol. 2008;14(4):483-492.   Published online December 31, 2008
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3350/kjhep.2008.14.4.483
Download Citation

Download a citation file in RIS format that can be imported by all major citation management software, including EndNote, ProCite, RefWorks, and Reference Manager.
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Clinical characteristics of 159 cases of acute toxic hepatitis
Korean J Hepatol. 2008;14(4):483-492.   Published online December 31, 2008
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3350/kjhep.2008.14.4.483
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