P-61 PREVALENCE OF HEPATITIS E VIRUS INFECTION ON CIRRHOTIC PATIENT POPULATION FROM ROSARIO

Introduction and Objectives

Hepatitis E virus (HEV), with the zoonotic transmission, is one of the main agents causing acute hepatitis. In individuals with chronic liver disease, the infection can cause acute on chronic liver disease (ACLD) and can lead to fulminant liver failure. This study aimed to analyze the impact of HEV infection in a cohort of cirrhotic individuals from Rosario, Santa Fe.

Materials and Methods

Ninety-seven individuals (18-82 years old; male=61) with liver cirrhosis of different etiology were enrolled; among them, 57 were followed up over two years. Blood samples were obtained every six months and at the time of decompensation of the cirrhosis. IgG and IgM a-HEV were studied by ELISA and HEV RNA by RT-qPCR method optimized in our laboratory. As a control group, 154 blood donors (18-62 years old; male=90) were analyzed.

Results

We demonstrated a seroprevalence of IgG a-HEV of 5.2% (5/97) in the cirrhotic population, compared to 3.2% obtained in the control group (p>0.05). The highest prevalence of IgG a-HEV was recorded in those cirrhotic patients with autoimmune and hepatitis C infection etiology (11.1% and 8.0%, respectively). Among the 57 patients in follow-up, 19 decompensated at least once (6 ACLD) and 18 died. In 3/19 (15.8%) IgG a-HEV was detected; however, only one of them (1/3) seroconverted 13 months after the start of the study, while the other two patients had detectable IgG a-HEV antibodies from the beginning of the study. Nevertheless, in these three individuals, the presence of IgM and HEV RNA was not detected.

Conclusions

Our study shows a higher prevalence of IgG a-HEV in the group of cirrhotic patients compared to the control group. However, no association was found between HEV infection and the decompensation events observed in the analyzed cohort.