Background: Acute viral hepatitis (AVH), caused by a number of viral agents and characterised by hepatic inflammation and injury, is an infectious disease. AVHs, mainly acute viral hepatitis B (AVHB) cause important morbidity and mortality around the world.

Material and Method: Hospitalised patients with acute viral hepatitis A (AVHA) and AVHB at the Department of Clinical Bacteriology and Infectious Diseases. Cumhuriyet University Hospital, Sivas, between January 1996 and December 1999 were analysed retrospectively.

Results: During the four-year study period, 41 (35%) female and 75 (65%) male totally 116 patients were diagnosed as AVH and hospitalised at our clinic. Forty-three (37%) of them were AVHA and 73 (63%) AVHB. Mean age was 19 (yr) for AVHA cases and 32 (vr) for AVHB (p< 0.05). The patients with AVHB had a longer hospitalisation period than the patients with AVHA (9 r.v 12 days, p< 0.05).

Conclusion: Our study shows that, AVHA has seen in young patients more than AVHB, and the patients with AVHB have a longer hospitalisation period at the clinic than the patients with AVHA.