Incidence and Meaning of Persistence of Australia Antigen in Patients with Acute Viral Hepatitis: Development of Chronic Hepatitis

In a prospective study for occurrence and persistence of Australia antigen, 253 consecutively admitted patients with biopsy-verified acute viral hepatitis were examined. Australia antigen was detected in serum specimens from 112 of the patients (44 per cent). In 88 of these 112, the antigen was transitorily detectable for one to 13 weeks (average, 4 1/2 weeks). Australia antigen persisted for more than 13 weeks in 11 of the 253 patients (4.3 per cent), in all of whom clinical and biochemical signs of chronic hepatitis developed. In 10 of these patients the chronic hepatitis was verified by repeated liver biopsies. Chronic aggressive hepatitis developed in eight patients, and chronic persistent hepatitis in two. Thus, 4 to 5 per cent of the patients with acute viral hepatitis admitted to Copenhagen hospitals have persistence of Australia antigen for several months; in this group, chronic hepatitis is apt to develop.