Viral Hepatitis in a Group of Boston Hospitals

Abstract

SO much of the knowledge about viral hepatitis has come from studies of special populations such as young men in military service and mentally retarded children in institutions that it is appropriate to ask how different the disease may be when it occurs sporadically in the general population. Pooling of records from 9 Boston teaching hospitals cooperating with the Boston Inter-Hospital Liver Group provided an opportunity to study 1675 such patients. Some of them were hospitalized for diagnostic problems only, but most of the cases were representative of the more severe forms of hepatitis. A high mortality was anticipated but . . .