title: [Epidemiology and clinical manifestations of viral hepatitis].
abstract: Viral hepatitis is an infectious disease affecting the liver. At this time, five different human hepatitis viruses are recognized and characterized in detail: Hepatitis A virus (HAV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), hepatitis D virus (HDV), and hepatitis E virus (HEV). The hepatitis viruses differ widely in their modes of transmission and clinical features. Whereas all of them can cause acute hepatitis, only HBV, HDV, and HCV cause chronic hepatitis. This article reviews the epidemiology and clinical manifestations of the different types of viral hepatitis.
authors.affiliation: Microbiología, Complejo Hospitalario Universitario de Santiago de Compostela, Choupana s/n, 15706 Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aguilera Guirao
authors.forename: Susana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Romero Yuste
authors.forename: Benito J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Regueiro
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D014943:Global Health; D006518:Hepatitis Viruses / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology; D006525:Hepatitis, Viral, Human / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000635:transmission / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014761:Viral Hepatitis Vaccines
chemical_list: D014761:Viral Hepatitis Vaccines; C404205:hepatitis vaccine MTH 68-B