title: Tests for acute and chronic viral hepatitis. Finding your way through the alphabet soup of infection and superinfection.
abstract: Because clinical signs are of little or no help for identifying various causes of viral hepatitis, accurate diagnosis can only be achieved with serologic and molecular testing. Knowledge of the strengths and limitations of these tests allows rational use and interpretation of results. The findings have implications for public health surveillance, estimating prognosis, and identifying candidates for treatment.
authors.affiliation: Division of Digestive Diseases, UCLA School of Medicine, USA. sammysaab@msn.com
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Saab
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Martin
mesh_terms: D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies / Q000032:analysis; D006525:Hepatitis, Viral, Human / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D007159:Immunologic Tests; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015163:Superinfection
chemical_list: D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies