[Hepatitis epidemic among drug addicts in Esbjerg from July 1993 to May 1994].

During 11 months from July 1993 to May 1994 the Department of Internal Medicine at Esbjerg Centralsygehus saw 19 patients with acute hepatitis A, B and/or C. In a normal year one to three patients are admitted with acute viral hepatitis. Sixteen of the patients reported intravenous drug use, half of them only sporadically, i.e. once or twice a month. Acute hepatitis A, B and C were seen in seven different combinations, the most frequent being acute hepatitis B in a hepatitis C antibody positive patient. The occurrence of acute hepatitis A in this group of patients may be due to parenteral transmission. Among 10 patients tested for HIV antibodies, none were found to be positive. In Esbjerg, which is the fifth largest city in Denmark, an automat with clean needles and syringes was installed six months after the culmination of the epidemic.