Measles Hepatitis in Children

An, Sang Gil; Wuon, Ji Eun; Cha, Ki Moon; Chung, Yong Min; Kim, Hee Sup; Tchah, Hann; Park, Ho Jin

Abstract

PURPOSE
Measles infection in children has been known to have many complications including hepatitis. But there has been no appropriate study about measles hepatitis in children. So we studied to facilitate the understanding of measles hepatitis in children by analyzing their clinical features and laboratory findings.
METHODS
We investigated 164 patients who were admitted to the Department of Pediatrics, Seoul Red Cross Hospital due to measles from January 1985 to December 1994. We excluded other factors such as hepatitis A, B, C virus, Epstein-Barr virus and cytomegalovirus which could also result in hepatitis. According to the presence and the absence of coexistent complications 22 measles hepatitis patients were divided into two groups in which clinical characteristics and laboratory findings were analyzed as well.
RESULTS
1)Of total 164 patients there were 26 patients(15.9%) with measles hepatitis. 2)The ratio of male to female was 1.8:1. The range of age distribution was 6 months to thirteen years, and patients from 6 months to 3 years of age occupied 50% of the total patients. 3)The mean values of serum AST and ALT levels were 151+/-17.6 IU/L and 185+/-36.6 IU/L, espectively. And they were detected at 4.4+/-2.4 days after the first symptoms of measles were developed. 4)Major clinical characteristics were diarrhea in 22.7%, vomiting in 13.6%, hepatomegaly in 9.1%, and splenomegaly in 4.5%. Jaundice was not detected. 5)There was no difference between two groups in terms of serum albumin, globulin, bilirubin, AST and ALT(p>0.05). 6)Elevated serum AST and ALT levels returned to normal values within 2 weeks in 87.5%.
CONCLUSIONS
Measles hepatitis develops with favorable outcome. Liver function test may well be done in cases of measles infection because hepatic dysfunction does not uncommonly occur in measles infection. Further study for the difference of the incidence of measles hepatitis according to the measles epidemics should be performed.