Acute Hepatitis E With Elevated Alpha Fetoprotein: A Case Report and Literature Review

Abstract

Acute Hepatitis E (AHE) is an acute self-limiting disease caused by Hepatitis E virus infection, which is mostly transmitted through the digestive tract. A few patients can lead to severe hepatitis and liver failure. Alpha fetoprotein is a sensitive serological marker of primary liver cancer. AFP may increase in different degrees in patients with gastrointestinal tumors, endodermal sinus tumors and germ cell carcinoma originating from endoderm. In addition, serum AFP can also be elevated in varying degrees in non-neoplastic acute and chronic liver diseases. We here report a case of Acute Hepatitis E with elevated serum AFP, and discuss the clinical characteristics and significance of elevated AFP in Acute Hepatitis E through literature review.