Spectrum of acute hepatitis in hospitalized children

Background: Acute Hepatitis has been a leading public health problem throughout the world and more so in developing countries. So this study was undertaken to study the demographic and etiological profile of acute hepatitis in our area. Methods: This study a prospective observational study was done in pediatric department of district hospital Udhampur, a secondary care centre. All the patients with diagnosis of acute hepatitis were evaluated and investigated and case records were recorded in a pre-designed performa. Results: Fever, yellow urine, and lack of appetite were the most common presenting complaints seen in 90.90%, 81.16%, and 77.27% of the patients respectively. Most common physical findings were hepatomegaly and icterus. The most common age group affected was 5-10 years. Fulminant hepatic failure was seen in 5% of the patients. Hepatitis A was encountered most frequently (60%), followed by mixed infections (11%) and enteric hepatitis (6.94%). Hepatitis E and Hepatitis B were encountered least frequently (1.94% each). Conclusion: Hepatitis A is the leading cause of acute hepatitis in hospitalized children. A lot needs to be done to improve the vaccine coverage of Hepatitis A in our area to prevent it.