title: Viral hepatitis. What have we learned about risk factors and transmission?
abstract: Understanding of transmission of viral hepatitis continues to improve. Patients with certain behaviors (eg, injecting drug use, male homosexual activity) are at risk of infection with multiple hepatitis viruses. However, a significant proportion of patients who become infected have no identifiable risk factor for hepatitis. Many who contract hepatitis B or C are unaware of their infection. Therefore, patients often present with serologic evidence of previous infection but have no knowledge of a previous infection or recognizable risk factors.
authors.affiliation: Division of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, USA.
authors.forename: P R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Becherer
mesh_terms: D006506:Hepatitis A / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission; D006525:Hepatitis, Viral, Human / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000635:transmission*; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening; D012307:Risk Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology