title: Hepatitis.
abstract: Hepatitis is a common disorder with diverse etiology. Hepatitis can be classified as acute when duration is short and as chronic when it lasts more than 6 months. It can also be suspected to be chronic because of its cause. When evaluating a patient with hepatitis, investigation for viral etiologies is usually the first step, however it is important not to forget the other possibilities of drug- or chemical-related injury, as well as the multiple immune, metabolic and toxic causes of hepatitis. In this article, we have dedicated the larger part of our discussion to viral etiologies. There has been enormous progress over the past few years in the management of viral hepatitis, especially of viral hepatitis B and C. In this article, we discussed current therapeutic options in the management of these relatively common disorders and provided some recommendations in preventing transmission of these infections.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology/Hepatology, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville Veterans Affairs Medical Center and Jewish Hospital, Louisville, KY 40402, USA. lsmars01@gwise.louisville.edu
authors.forename: Luis S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Marsano
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018562:Disease Transmission, Infectious / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies / Q000276:immunology; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000821:virology; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000821:virology; D006521:Hepatitis, Chronic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000821:virology; D006525:Hepatitis, Viral, Human / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000635:transmission / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D008487:Medical History Taking; D011320:Primary Health Care; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000276:immunology; D012307:Risk Factors; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies; D012367:RNA, Viral