title: Aging liver and hepatitis.
abstract: Chronic liver disease and cirrhosis are the tenth leading causes of death in the United States and results in approximately 25,000 deaths annually. As life expectancy in developed countries has increased, so has the number of elderly patients who have liver disease. With an aging population and chronic liver disease becoming an increasingly significant cause of morbidity and mortality, the various causes for hepatitis will need to be evaluated and available treatments considered, even in elderly population. Common causes for hepatitis in elderly individuals include viral, autoimmune, and drug-induced hepatitis, but evidence for treatment of this population is limited. This article reviews the likely causes of hepatitis in elderly individuals and discusses evidence for treating this population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, 3635 Vista Avenue, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA. junaidio@slu.edu
authors.forename: Omer
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Junaidi
authors.forename: Adrian M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Di Bisceglie
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D056486:Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy; D019693:Hepatitis, Autoimmune / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy; D006525:Hepatitis, Viral, Human / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012307:Risk Factors