RESUMO
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To clarify the relationship between fatal severe form hepatitis occurred during chronic hepatitis B and superinfections of hepatitis A, C, D or E virus as well as hepatitis B e system status and to adopt corresponding measures to reduce the mortality of chronic hepatitis B.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>This study detected the superinfections with hepatitis A, C, D or E virus and hepatitis B e system status in 219 patients with fatal severe form hepatitis occurred during chronic hepatitis B by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The superinfections with hepatitis A, C, D or E virus were found in 1.4% (3/219), 9.6% (21/219), 1.8% (4/219) and 30.1% (66/219) of the patients, respectively, altogether 42.9% (94/219); hepatitis E was prominent and steady in superinfection rate in recent ten years. The causes of 57.1% (125/219) patients were not clear. The positive rate of HBeAg and anti-HBe were 17.0% (16/94) and 54.2% (51/94) in the group of superinfections with hepatitis A, C, D or E virus; and were 27.2% (34/125) and 47.2% (59/125) in the group with unknown causes, respectively.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>These results suggested that the patients with superinfections reached 42.9% (94/219), and the superinfections may be a part of causes of fatal severe form hepatitis, and the mortality of chronic hepatitis B may be decreased by strict food sanitation and use of safe blood products. There were no significant relation between hepatitis B e antigen seroconversion and the fatal severe form hepatitis occurred during chronic hepatitis B.</p>