Prevalence of Skin Lesions and Simultaneous Infectious Diseases in Hospitalized Patients with Viral Hepatitis in a Tertiary Referral Center, North of Iran

Abstract

Background and purpose: Viral hepatitis is a systemic infection that mainly affects the liver. We studied the prevalence of skin lesions and infectious diseases including hepatitis A and B virus infection in patients attending Qaemshahr Razi Teaching Hospital, Iran 2013-2015. Materials and methods: In this retrospective descriptive study, records of patients diagnosed with hepatitis were investigated for skin lesions and other simultaneous infectious diseases. Results: There were 188 patients with viral hepatitis in whom skin lesions were observed in 16 and 35 were diagnosed with other simultaneous infections. Conclusion: In current study, the incidence of skin lesions in patients with hepatitis B was higher than that of other hepatitis. High rate of infections such as pneumonia and bronchitis among patients with viral hepatitis indicates a decreased ability of their immune system in protecting against other infectious agents.

Keywords

• skin lesions
• hepatitis b - hepatitis c