Abstract: Objective To investigate the damage of the hepatitis E to liver function in the elderly patients. Method sA total of 208 patients with hepatitis E were recruited and grouped according to age and gender. Indexes of liver function,including AST,ALT,GGT,TBA,PA,ALB,TBIL and DBIL were tested and then compared with those of 131 patients with chronic hepatitis B and 100 healthy control subjects. Results Compared with 131 patients with chronic hepatitis B and 100healthy control subjects,the levels of AST,ALT,GGT,TBA,TBIL,DBIL were higher in the patients with hepatitis E,while the levels of PA and ALB were lower in hepatitis E patients. The levels ofAST,ALT,PA and ALB in the patients over 50 years old （62.8±6.9） were lower than patients under 50 years old （62.8±6.9）,and the levels of TBIL and DBIL in the patients over 50 years old （62.8±6.9） were higher than patients under 50 years old （62.8±6.9）. There was no significantly statistical difference in the levels of GGT and TBA. The levels of AST,ALT,GGT,PA,TBIL and DBIL in male were higher than female,while the levels of TBA,and ALB were not significantly different. Conclusion The damage of hepatitis E to liver function is serious,especially for older patients and male patients. In addition,older patients had more serious jaundice and were prone to cholestasis.

Key words: Hepatitis E, ALT, AST, GGT, TBA, TBIL, DBIL, ALB, PA