Prevalence of type B and non-A, non-B hepatitis in hemophilia: relationship to chronic liver disease.

To assess the relationship of liver dysfunction and hepatitis markers in hemophilic patients treated with factor VIII or IX concentrates, we studied 103 patients with hemophilia A and B for 6-36 mo. Elevated serum alanine aminotransferase was noted in 79% of the patients, with 51% of the patients showing persistent elevation for longer than 6 mo. Thirteen patients (12%) were HBsAg-positive, with 8 patients showing persistence of HBsAg and abnormal serum alanine aminotransferase for more than 6 mo. Overall, anti-HBs was detected in 77% of patients. Twelve episodes of acute hepatitis were documented in 10 patients during 36 mo. Six episodes were due to hepatitis B virus. The remaining 6 episodes were due to non-A, non-B hepatitis with negative HBsAg and absence of seroconversion to hepatitis B virus, hepatitis A virus, cytomegalovirus, and Epstein-Barr virus. In the six episodes of non-A, non-B hepatitis, the incubation period was less than 10 days in 3 patients and 30 days in 2 patients. In all cases with non-A, non-B hepatitis, the illness was symptomatic, but mild. Serum alanine aminotransferase returned to normal within 4 mo in 2 patients, but in 3 patients serum alanine aminotransferase persisted longer than 6 mo. One patient developed an acute B hepatitis 40 wk after non-A, non-B hepatitis. Thus, infection with the hepatitis B virus still remains prevalent as a cause of acute hepatitis in hemophiliacs receiving commercial factor concentrates, and accounts for chronic liver dysfunction in patients with persistent HBs antigenemia. In addition, acute non-A, non-B hepatitis, appears to be relatively common in hemophiliacs, and non-A, non-B virus may account for many cases of persistent liver dysfunction in these patients.