Serum hyaluronate in patients with acute and fulminant hepatitis.

We evaluated serum hyaluronate (HA) levels in 17 patients with acute hepatitis and 9 with fulminant hepatitis (FH). Upon admission, patients with FH showed increased levels of serum HA and these levels showed significant correlation with biochemical parameters such as human hepatocyte growth factor, hepaplastin test, and prothrombin activity. In patients with AH, the levels of serum HA decreased during convalescence. Higher serum HA levels were observed in patients with type A acute hepatitis than in patients with non-A type. In patients with FH, serum HA levels were decreased in the survivors, while they were elevated in the non-survivors. These findings suggest that serum HA levels may be a useful indicator for evaluating the prognosis of patients with acute and fulminant hepatitis. Further study is necessary to determine whether there is a causal relationship between elevated serum HA levels and the type of hepatitis virus.