Hospital-acquired acute viral hepatitis C

Aim. To investigate clinical, epidemiological and laboratory features of acute viral hepatitis C hospital outbreak, registered in Aksy District, Kyrgyz Republic. Methods. The study was performed at department of infective diseases of Aksy Territorial hospital. 20 patients with acute hepatitis C were surveyed. All these patients were treated in the department of neurology of the same hospital (first one was admitted on 31.07.2006, last one - on 06.10.2006) for the mean term of 32 days before being admitted to the department of infective diseases. Epidemiologic, clinical and biochemical, serologic, virologic and instrumental methods were applied. Results. Acute hepatitis C was present as single infection in 19 cases, in was case it was associated with presence of surface antigen of the hepatitis B virus (HBSAg). All patients with acute hepatitis C had typical clinical pattern of the disease, moderate disease severity was the most common. Epidemiologic investigation revealed that all these patients while beain treated at the department of neurology, got injections using disposable syringes, no acupuncture was administered. None of them had parenteral and surgical interventions, blood transfusions, dental treatments 6 months prior to the admission. All of them denied any contact with any patients with known hepatitis C. One patient had survived acute viral hepatitis in childhood. It appears that this hepatitis C infection outbreak was related to parenteral transmission because all patients were admitted to the infectious department from a neurologic department only and all reported a history of receiving intravenous drugs.

acute viral hepatitis C, clinical features, epidemiology, diagnosis