Background and aim: The purpose of the present study was to investigate the influence of viral load on disease severity and analyze the possible relationship of the load of hepatitis A virus (HAV) with disease severity and laboratory findings.
Methods: Fifty-eight patients diagnosed with acute hepatitis A were used in the current study, of whom 12 patients progressed to severe acute hepatitis (s-AH) defined on the basis of a prothrombin time (PT) of <40% and 46 patients were diagnosed as having mild acute hepatitis (m-AH). The load of HAV was measured with real-time polymerase chain reaction.
Results: Peak viral load showed a significant correlation with alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (r = 0.363, P = 0.0048) and PT levels (r = -0.330, P = 0.0110). In terms of disease severity, there was a significant correlation with ALT (r = 0.462, P = 0.0012) and PT levels (r = 0.400, P = 0.0059) in the m-AH group, but not in the s-AH group. A significant positive correlation of peak viral load with the C-reactive protein level (r = 0.270, P = 0.0400) and a significant negative correlation of peak viral load with the platelet count (r = -0.313, P = 0.0015) was also found.
Conclusions: The load of HAV was closely correlated with liver damage and disease severity in m-AH, but not in s-AH. The load of HAV was also closely associated with the increase in C-reactive protein level and enhancement of thrombocytopenia.