Ten years after this massive immunization strategy, no further cases of fulminant hepatitis due to HAV were reported in the country. Before introducing universal HAV vaccination, fulminant presentation of HAV was the leading cause of liver transplantation in children. In the year 2005, HAV vaccine was added as a single-dose vaccine to the mandatory child immunization schedule in Argentina, significantly changing its epidemiology. This suggests herd immunity, but it also associates with rising susceptibility in the long term due to the lower circulation of the virus. The development of an effective vaccine in the 1990 ́s and subsequent massive immunization has modified the incidence of severe or fulminant HAV in vaccinated and unvaccinated similar age groups. When an outbreak occurs, it can cause extended person-to-person transmission, with a higher incidence of symptomatic cases. On the contrary, in low and intermediate endemicity countries, there is a lower circulation of the virus and, thus, a higher proportion of susceptible persons. In high endemicity countries, usually low-resource areas with poor sanitation and hygiene conditions, infection occurs in early childhood and is mainly associated with little clinical impact. HAV has a worldwide distribution and it is transmitted through fecal-oral contamination. This self-limiting infection was estimated to cause approximately 126 million cases of acute hepatitis in 2012, and it is associated with 35,000 deaths annually. Hepatitis A is an acute infection of the liver caused by the hepatitis A virus (HAV). An elevated proportion of them was diagnosed with a concomitant sexually transmitted disease, and several patients had a severe presentation of the disease. Our study describes that during the study period, HAV infection affected predominantly young adults, particularly men who have sex with men. When assessing outcomes, 79% had a mild presentation and 21% had a severe/fulminant presentation: one patient underwent liver transplantation, and one patient died. In total, 35% of patients required hospitalization. Additionally, 23% and 26% of patients tested positive for HIV and syphilis, respectively. The most likely routes of transmission were sexual intercourse of men with men, reported by 31 patients. Fifty-six patients (86%) were males, with a mean age of 34 ± 12 years old. We performed a cross-sectional study of patients residing in Argentina with acute hepatitis A between and. ![]() We aimed to evaluate the clinical and epidemiological characteristics and possible transmission routes of affected patients. However, several new autochthonous cases of HAV have been reported since 2017. ![]() See more Open Access OptionĪfter hepatitis A (HAV) mandatory immunization in 2005 in Argentina, the incidence of HAV declined drastically. Our journal seeks to publish articles on basic clinical care and translational research focused on preventing rather than treating the complications of end-stage liver disease. Topics covered by AoH include alcoholic liver disease, autoimmune hepatitis, biliary diseases, drug-induced liver injury, genetic liver diseases, NAFLD/NASH and viral hepatitis (HAV, HBV, HCV, HDV, HEV). ![]() AoH publishes editorials, opinions, concise reviews, original articles, brief reports, letters to the editor, news from affiliated associations, clinical practice guidelines and summaries of congresses in the field of Hepatology. It is the official journal of the Mexican Association of Hepatology ( AMH), the Latin American Association for the Study of the Liver ( ALEH), the Canadian Association for the Study of the Liver ( CASL) and the Czech Society of Hepatology ( CSH). Annals of Hepatology (AoH) is an international, open access journal published bi-monthly with funds from the Fundación Clínica Médica Sur.
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