Impaired plasma lipid profiles in acute hepatitis

Liver is the most important organ for the metabolism of lipids, lipoproteins and apolipoproteins. Under normal circumstances, most plasma endogenous lipids and lipoproteins are synthesized in the liver and then are secreted into the blood circulation [1,2]. And plasma lipoproteins are also mainly catabolism by the liver to maintain the relative balance of lipid and lipoprotein metabolism in vivo [3]. It has been well documented that chronic liver dysfunction might interfere lipid metabolism in vivo and could change plasma lipid and lipoprotein patterns [4]. Acute hepatitis may be referred to an inflammatory process of the liver lasting less than six months. In China, the most common etiology of acute hepatitis is viral infection, in which hepatitis A and hepatitis E are the most common causes. In clinical, the courses of acute hepatitis may vary widely from mild symptom that does not require treatment to the fulminant hepatic failure that needs emergency liver transplantation. Acute viral hepatitis is more likely to be asymptomatic in younger people. In addition, acute hepatitis may occur less commonly with infections such as Epstein-Barr virus, cytomegalovirus, adenovirus, herpes simplex and Coxsackie virus or with other noninfectious reasons. It has been demonstrated that in the acute and/or chronic liver diseases, hepatic function could be impaired and the circulating lipids and lipoproteins are not only present in abnormal amounts but they frequently also have abnormal composition including electrophoretic mobility and appearance [4]. Previous studies pay more emphasis on changes of lipid metabolisms under chronic hepatitis and cirrhosis with or without hepatocellular carcinoma [5-7]. In the present study we followed plasma lipid and lipoprotein patterns of patients suffered from acute hepatitis to further explore the changes of lipid and lipoprotein profiles of the patients.Thirty cases of acute hepatitis patients who were admitted to the hospital's inpatients