[Characteristics of the course of chronic liver diseases of hepatitis B etiology with delta infection in children].

Overall 120 children with chronic liver diseases of HB-virus etiology were examined. In 78.3% of the patients, RIA was used to reveal anti-delta in blood serum, 33 children were diagnosed to have chronic persistent hepatitis, 44 chronic active hepatitis, and 43 liver cirrhosis. The patients with anti-delta manifested certain characteristic features. There prevailed children from epidemiologically unfavourable regions as regards virus hepatitis B. There also prevailed boys. In one-third of the patients with chronic liver diseases and anti-delta, acute hepatitis ran a biphasic course. According to the data obtained, super-addition of delta-infection aggravates the disease; the process becomes chronic more rapidly, exacerbations are more pronounced. 16 out of 23 children showed delta-antigen in liver biopsy specimens; in patients with active disease, the antigen was detected in the nucleus and cytoplasm at a time. As the activity decreases, the antigen becomes mostly detectable in the cytoplasm.