Hepatitis B virus hepatitis
Hepatitis B infection is a serious and common infectious disease of the liver caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV) (1)
- HBV is an enveloped DNA virus. The complete virus particle is known as the Dane particle and has characteristic serological markers
- it transmitted parenterally, or by intimate, usually sexual contact (1).
Hepatitis infection can be either:
- acute
- occurs in 1-4% of hospitalised patients with HBV, a figure which is increased by concomitant infection with hepatitis D virus
- usually a self-limiting disease marked by acute inflammation and hepatocellular necrosis
- case fatality rate is around 0.5–1%
- chronic
- defined as persistence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) for six months or more
- chronic sequelae are attributed to deficiency in the host immune response rather than to the cytotoxicity of HBV
- encompasses a spectrum of disease (1)
Reference:
- World Health Organization (WHO) 2015. Guidelines for the prevention, care and treatment of persons with chronic hepatitis B infection.
- NICE. Hepatitis B (chronic): diagnosis and management. Clinical guideline CG165. Published June 2013, last updated: 20 October 2017
Related pages
- Epidemiology
- Dane particle
- Risk groups
- Transmission
- Serology
- Clinical features
- Treatment of acute hepatitis
- Treatment of chronic hepatitis B hepatitis
- Prognosis
- Prevention
- Chronic hepatitis B virus hepatitis
- HBV (fetal infection)
- Screening for infectious disease in pregnancy
- Assessment of hepatitis B and referral criteria from primary care
- HBeAg ( hepatitis B e antigen )
- Host and viral risk factors associated with progression of chronic hepatitis B
- NICE guidance on management of chronic hepatitis B infection
- Hepatitis B vaccination
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