Childhood Hepatitis and Adenovirus — Neither Has Recently Increased and the Two Do Not Seem Linked

Compiled reports of acute hepatitis incidence and adenovirus isolation rates in children during the past year compared with a pre-COVID baseline showed no increase in likelihood of either event.

In a recent small outbreak of acute childhood hepatitis of unknown etiology within one U.S. healthcare system, many (but not all) of the patients tested positive for adenovirus type 40/41 (a virus that commonly resides in the large intestine of young children), suggesting that the two concurrent findings might represent an etiologic link (NEJM JW Infect Dis Jul 2022 and MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2022; 71:638).

Now, the CDC has presented data from several reports of pediatric hepatitis-associated emergency department visits or hospitalization, liver transplantation, and isolation of adenovirus 40/41 during two periods: Oct 2021–Mar 2022 and Jan 2018–Feb 2020 (i.e., pre-COVID-19 baseline). The two comparative periods were chosen on the theory …

Reviewing Author

Stephen G. Baum, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardClinical Infectious Diseases

RoyaltiesUpToDate

Editorial BoardsMedical Letter

Stephen G. Baum, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardClinical Infectious Diseases

RoyaltiesUpToDate

Editorial BoardsMedical Letter

Childhood Hepatitis and Adenovirus — Neither Has Recently Increased and the Two Do Not Seem Linked

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Reviewing Author