Table 1 Demographic and clinical characteristics of the 32 patients with unexplained hepatitis

Demographics

Results

Age (years)^a

4.1 (2.7–5.5, 0.9–10.6)

Sex (girls)^b

20 (63%)

Co-morbidity^b

9 (28%)^c

Peak bilirubin^a (µmol l^–1)

82 (36–160, 3–387)

Peak alanine transaminase^a (U l^–1)

1,757 (708–2,763, 333–5,417)

Peak aspartate transaminase^a (U l^–1)

2,048 (833–3,408, 424–6,908)

Peak γ-glutamyltransferase^a (U l^–1)

124 (91–162, 18–720)

Peak international normalized ratio^a

1.2 (1.1–1.4, 1.0–2.9)

Peak C-reactive protein^a (mg l^–1)

5 (3–11, 1–117)

Caeruloplasmin^a (n = 24) (g l^–1)

0.36 (0.33–0.39, 0.22–0.52)

IgG^a (g l^–1)

11.8 (9.9–14.3, 1.5–21.0)

Coeliac screen (TTG antibody) (n = 26)

26 normal range

Anti-mitochondrial antibody

32 negative

Anti-smooth muscle antibody

29 negative, 3 low positive (1:40)^c

Anti-liver kidney microsomal 1 antibody

32 negative

Anti-nuclear antibody

28 negative, 4 weak positive 1:80 titre^c

Symptoms at presentation^b

• Vomiting

22 (69%)

• Jaundice

21 (66%)

• Poor appetite

12 (38%)

• Lethargy or fatigue

10 (31%)

• Abdominal pain

10 (31%)

• Diarrhoea

4 (13%)

Subacute symptoms for ≥14 days before presentation (n = 32)

18 (56%)

Subacute symptoms reported (n = 18)

• Intermittent vomiting

15 (83%)

• Initial gastroenteritis-like illness

12 (67%)

• Abdominal pain

9 (50%)

• Lethargy or fatigue

7 (39%)

• Poor appetite

6 (33%)

• Weight loss

6 (33%)

Approximate duration of subacute symptoms before presentation^a,d

42 (27–52, 14–85) days

Length of hospital stay^a,e

6 (4–10, 1–68) days

Required transfer to tertiary liver unit

4 (12.5%)

Required liver transplant

1 (3%)