Acute sporadic non-A, non-B hepatitis in India

A total of 293 sporadic cases of acute viral hepatitis were identified in Kashmir, India, from April 1979 to December 1981; 44 (15%) were found serologically to be hepatitis A, 94 (32%) hepatitis B, and 155 (53%) non-A, non-B type. The non-A, non-B hepatitis observed was a disease of young adults (29.8 +/- 15 years) with slight male predominance (1.4:1). Six of the 155 non-A, non-B cases had history of prior parenteral exposure, while 51 (33%) had a recent contact with another case of jaundice, suggesting that this form of hepatitis was spread by person-to-person contact. Fulminant hepatic failure occurred in 19 cases, and six (31.5%) of the 19 cases occurred in pregnant women. None of 90 non-A, non-B cases followed up six months later had developed chronic hepatitis. The acute sporadic non-A, non-B hepatitis described in Kashmir resembles epidemic non-A, non-B hepatitis epidemiologically and seems to be distinct from the non-A, non-B hepatitis described in the West.