Fulminant hepatitis as a consequence of reactivation of hepatitis B virus infection after discontinuation of low-dose methotrexate therapy

Article Abstract:

Chronic hepatitis B is the inflammation of the liver caused by infection with the hepatitis B virus. The replication or production of the virus in the body is associated with active liver disease. Reactivation of viral replication is also associated with increased liver disease, and may follow from the use of immunosuppressive drugs, agents that decrease the activity of the immune system. A case is described of a 57-year-old woman who was treated with methotrexate for rheumatoid arthritis, an inflammatory joint disease. The patient was also infected with the hepatitis B virus, although she had no symptoms. When methotrexate therapy was discontinued, the patient developed liver disease. It is thought that withdrawal of methotrexate, which may suppress the immune system at low doses, may have caused the reactivation of viral replication and thereby may have resulted in the development of inflammation and deterioration of the liver. It is suggested that patients being considered for methotrexate therapy should be tested for the presence of hepatitis B virus. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Case studies, Hepatitis B, Methotrexate

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Clinical reactivation of herpes simplex virus type 2 infection in seropositive pregnant women with no history of genital herpes

Article Abstract:

Reactivation of herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) may occur in pregnant women with no history of genital herpes. Seventy-eight to 97% of individuals infected with HSV-2 have no symptoms. Among 1,355 pregnant women with no history of HSV-2 infection, 439 (32%) had developed antibodies to HSV-2. Of 264 women infected HSV-2 who were followed until delivery, 43 (16%) developed their first episode of genital herpes during their pregnancy. Approximately half of these women developed their first episode of genital herpes during the third trimester of pregnancy. Less than one percent of 1,160 cervical cultures obtained from women infected with HSV-2 revealed asymptomatic viral shedding during late pregnancy or at the time of delivery. Newborns exposed to HSV-2 during passage through the birth canal have a 3% to 8% risk of developing an HSV-2 infection.

Causes of, Diseases, Pregnant women, Herpes simplex virus, Herpesvirus diseases, Herpesvirus infections

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HIV-positive patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease have a lower body mass index and are more physically active than HIV-negative patients

Article Abstract:

The body mass index (BMI) and physical activity of HIV-positive and HIV-negative patients, both suffering from nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, are compared. It is found that the HIV-infected patients have a lower BMI and are more physically active than the non-infected ones.

Risk factors, HIV patients, HIV seropositivity, HIV positive, Clinical report

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