Non-A, B, C viral hepatitis is the name given to the disease with clinical viral hepatitis, but in which serologic evidence of A, B, C hepatitis has not been found. Little is known about the etiology and clinical features of non-A, B, C viral hepatitis in children.

A clinical analysis of 45 cases with non-A, B, C viral hepatitis who were admitted to the Department of Pediatrics, Pusan National University Hospital, from January 2001 to June 2004 was carried out retrospectively. Patients who were positive for HBsAg, anti-HAV and anti-HCV and had toxic, metabolic, autoimmune, or neonatal hepatitis were excluded in this study.

Among 45 cases of non-A, B, C viral hepatitis, the etiology was unknown in 26 (57.8%), CMV (cytomegalovirus) in 14 (31.1%), EBV (Epstein Barr virus) in 2 (4.4%), HSV (herpes simplex virus) in 2 (4.4%) and RV (rubella virus) in 1 (2.2%). Twenty seven out of 45 (60.0%) patients were under 1 year of age. Sixteen (33.3%) patients had no specific clinical symptoms and were diagnosed incidentally. On physical examination, twenty seven out of 45 patients (60.0%) had no abnormal findings. Forty three out of 45 patients (95.6%) showed classic clinical course of acute viral hepatitis, whereas fulminant hepatitis developed in two patients. Mean serum ALT (alanine aminotransferase) level was 488.7±771.9 IU/L. Serum ALT level was normalized in 31 out of 45 patients (81.6%) within 6 months and all patients within 18 months. Aplastic anemia was complicated in a case.

Although most patients with non-A, B, C viral hepatitis showed a good prognosis, a careful follow-up would be necessary because some of them had a clinical course of chronic hepatitis, fulminant hepatitis and severe complication such as aplastic anemia.