Complications contributing to mortality in acute hepatitis at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria.

Acute hepatitis is a common disease of young adults worldwide. Mortality is generally low, as most cases are self-limiting. Fatality does occur in a few and certain factors are responsible. A retrospective review and analyses of complications contributing to deaths due to acute hepatitis (AH), in hospitalised patients, over a five-year period, at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria, is here presented. Mortality was very high at 48%. This was much higher than the overall mortality recorded in the hospital during the same period. Liver failure was the commonest complication associated with mortality and was present in all the patients. Other complications which may have contributed to mortality in acute hepatitis were, gastrointestinal haemorrhage(39%), acute renal failure(22%), disseminated intravascular coagulopathy(12%), sepsis(17%), anaemia(17%), hypovolaemic shock(17%), sickle cell hyperhaemolytic crisis(11%), and hypoglycaemia(6%).