General Characteristics of Hepatitis
المؤلف:
Mary Louise Turgeon
المصدر:
Immunology & Serology in Laboratory Medicine
الجزء والصفحة:
5th E, P288
2025-08-26
259
The term hepatitis refers to inflammation of the liver. This chapter discusses infectious hepatitis caused by various viruses.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 2 billion people are infected with hepatitis. Almost one third of the world’s population has been infected with one of the known hepatitis viruses. In the United States, acute viral hepatitis most frequently is caused by infection with hepatitis A virus (HAV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), or hepatitis C virus (HCV). These unrelated viruses are transmitted via different routes and have different epidemiologic profiles. Safe and effective vac cines have been available for hepatitis B since 1981 and for hepatitis A since 1995.
Etiology
Viral hepatitis is the most common liver disease worldwide. The viral agents of acute hepatitis can be divided into two major groups, as follows:
• Primary hepatitis viruses: A, B, C, D, E, and GB virus C
• Secondary hepatitis viruses: Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), cytomegalovirus (CMV), herpesvirus, and others
Incidence
Primary hepatitis viruses account for approximately 95% of the cases of hepatitis. These viruses are classified as primary hepatitis viruses because they attack primarily the liver and have little direct effect on other organ systems. The secondary viruses involve the liver secondarily in the course of systemic infection of another body system. The viruses for hepatitis types A, B, C, D, E, and GB virus C, as well as secondary viruses (e.g., EBV, CMV), have been isolated and identified (Table 1).
Table1. Characteristics of Viral Hepatitis
Signs and Symptoms
As a clinical disease, hepatitis can occur in acute or chronic forms. The signs and symptoms of hepatitis are extremely variable. It can be mild, transient, and completely asymptomatic or it can be severe, prolonged, and ultimately fatal. Many fatalities are attributed to hepatocellular carcinoma in which hepatitis viruses B and C are the primary causes. The course of viral hepatitis can take one of four forms—acute, fulminant acute, subclinical without jaundice, and chronic (Table2).
Table2. Forms of Hepatitis
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