RESUMO
This study describes the aetiology and clinical course of fulminant viral hepatitis in 34 patients. Sixteen of 34 (47%) patients presented with serological evidence that indicated that hepatitis B virus (HBV) was the cause of fulminant hepatitis, while in 13 of 34 (38%) non-A, non-B (NANB) virus was implicated as the cause. Further, in three cases (9%) and two cases (6%) the patients' serological data indicated that hepatitis A (HAV) and the delta agent superinfection, respectively, were the cause. Forty-seven per cent of cases with fulminant viral hepatitis were among those aged between 21 and 40 years. Fulminant hepatitis due to HAV was confined to children less than five years of age, while the two patients who had delta infection were 40 years or older. Fulminant hepatitis occurred with equal frequency among males and females, and with the exception of one case, who had a NANB virus infection, the outcome of fulminant viral hepatitis in this study was invariably fatal.
