evaluation of hepatitis e in cirrhotic patients, a case control study

background: hepatitis e virus is an enterically transmitted virus that is endemic in south asia and this virus is one of the most important cause of acute hepatitis in this region. although hepatitis e virus (hev) is not a leading cause for chronic hepatitis, the role of hev in exacerbation of chronic liver disease is certain. materials and methods: 100 cirrhotic cases (50 hepatitis b and 50 hepatitis c cases) and 100 healthy controls matched by sex and age checked for igg anti hev antibody. antibody was detected by elisa method. results: igg antibody was positive in 6% of cirrhotic cases and 5% of healthy controls, statistically, there was no significant difference in hev seropositivity between cirrhotic patients and healthy controls regarding age and sex. conclusion: the majority of our cirrhotic patients were susceptible to hepatitis e and need policy to prevention.