Acute hepatitis A, B and C but not D is still prevalent in Mongolia: a time trend analysis

• Published in: Clinical and molecular hepatology Vol. 23; no. 2; pp. 147 - 153
• Main Authors: Oidov Baatarkhuu, Hye Won Lee, Jacob George, Dashchirev Munkh-orshikh, Baasankhuu Enkhtuvshin, Sosorbaram Ariunaa, Mohammed Eslam, Sang Hoon Ahn, Kwang-hyub Han, Do Young Kim
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Korean
• Published: 대한간학회 30-06-2017
• Subjects: Acute hepatitis; Hepatitis A; Hepatitis B; Hepatitis C; Hepatitis D
• ISSN: 2287-2728; 2287-285X

Background/Aims: Mongolia has one of the highest hepatitis A, C, B and D infection incidences worldwide. We sought to investigate changes in the proportion of acute viral hepatitis types in Mongolia over the last decade.
Methods: The cohort comprised 546 consecutive patients clinically diagnosed with acute viral hepatitis from January 2012 to December 2014 in Ulaanbaatar Hospital, Mongolia. A time trend analysis investigating the change in proportion of acute hepatitis A virus, hepatitis C virus (HCV), hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis delta virus (HDV) infection among the cohort with respect to a previous published study was undertaken.
Results: Acute hepatitis A, B and C was diagnosed in 50.9%, 26.2% and 6.0% of the cohort. Notably, 16.8% of the cohort had a dual infection. The etiologies of acute viral hepatitis were varied by age groups. The most common cause of acute viral hepatitis among 2-19 year olds was hepatitis A, HBV and superinfection with HDV among 20-40 year olds, and HCV among 40-49 year olds. Patients with more than one hepatitis virus infection were significantly older, more likely to be male and had a higher prevalence of all risk factors for disease acquisition. These patients also had more severe liver disease at presentation compared to those with mono-infection.
Conclusions: Acute viral hepatitis is still prevalent in Mongolia. Thus, the need for proper infection control is increasing in this country. (Clin Mol Hepatol 2017;23:147-153)