Context Acute viral hepatitis (AVH) is predominantly caused by hepatitis A virus (HAV) and hepatitis E virus (HEV), the prevalence of which varies in different geographical regions. Aims This study aimed to determine the prevalence of HAV and HEV infections in patients with AVH, the rate of HAV-HEV co-infection and the prevalence of HEV infection among pregnant women with hepatitis. Settings and Design It was a retrospective observational study conducted over 3 years from January 2015 to December 2017, after obtaining clearance from the institutional ethics committee. Subjects and Methods A total of 675 serum samples were collected from patients with a clinical diagnosis of AVH, between January 2015 and December 2017. The study population included outdoor and hospitalised patients between 3 and 70 years of age who presented with signs and symptoms of hepatitis. The presence of IgM anti-HAV and IgM anti-HEV antibodies in serum were assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Statistical Analysis Used Chi-square test. Results The prevalence of HAV, HEV and HAV-HEV co-infection was found to be 6.96%, 9.63% and 2.07%, respectively. Among males, this was 7.3%, 8.8% and 2.6%, respectively and in females 6.7%, 10.2% and 1.7%, respectively. However, these differences in the prevalence rates were of no statistical significance. The prevalence of HEV infection in pregnant women with hepatitis was 9.4%. HAV and HEV infections showed a seasonal trend with predominance during summer and rainy seasons (May to September). Conclusions A higher seroprevalence of HEV as compared to HAV together with a co-infection rate of 2.07% mandates screening for HEV in all suspected cases of acute hepatitis, particularly pregnant women in whom the outcomes of HEV infection are poor. Health and civic authorities should make necessary efforts to counter epidemic or outbreak situations, thus reducing morbidity, mortality and economic burden.

中文翻译：

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传染性肝炎：在印度一家三级护理医院进行的为期 3 年的回顾性研究。

背景信息 急性病毒性肝炎（AVH）主要由甲型肝炎病毒（HAV）和戊型肝炎病毒（HEV）引起，其患病率在不同地理区域有所不同。目的 本研究旨在确定 AVH 患者中 HAV 和 HEV 感染的患病率、HAV-HEV 合并感染率以及肝炎孕妇中 HEV 感染的患病率。设置和设计 这是一项回顾性观察研究，在获得机构伦理委员会批准后，从 2015 年 1 月至 2017 年 12 月进行了 3 年多的时间。对象和方法 2015 年 1 月至 2017 年 12 月期间，从临床诊断为 AVH 的患者中收集了总共 675 份血清样本。研究人群包括 3 岁至 70 岁之间出现肝炎体征和症状的室外和住院患者。通过酶联免疫吸附测定评估血清中 IgM 抗 HAV 和 IgM 抗 HEV 抗体的存在。统计分析采用卡方检验。结果HAV、HEV和HAV-HEV混合感染率分别为6.96%、9.63%和2.07%。男性中这一比例分别为 7.3%、8.8% 和 2.6%，女性中分别为 6.7%、10.2% 和 1.7%。然而，这些患病率差异没有统计学意义。患有肝炎的孕妇中HEV感染率为9.4%。HAV和HEV感染呈季节性趋势，以夏季和雨季（5月至9月）为主。结论 与 HAV 相比，HEV 血清阳性率较高，且合并感染率为 2.07%，因此必须对所有疑似急性肝炎病例进行 HEV 筛查，特别是 HEV 感染结果较差的孕妇。卫生和民政当局应采取必要措施应对流行病或疫情爆发，从而降低发病率、死亡率和经济负担。