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Text Copyright 2007 by Nancy Sculerati MD - all rights reserved

  • Hepatitis B

Hepatitis C is an inflammation of the liver caused by a specific virus (Hepatitis C Virus).

Hepatitis B is a viral infection that causes the liver to become inflamed. Both that particular kind of liver inflammation, and the virus itself are properly called "Hepatitis B".

Although most people who become infected with the virus clear it from their bodies and are never troubled by it, the virus remains active for decades in some people who are infected. Although there are other sorts of viruses that permanently infect the body in a way that does not usually shorten the person's life (see herpes, and Epstein-Barr virus for 2 examples), that kind of well-tolerated infection is not true of this virus. In about % of people who remain positive for the virus, chronic-active hepatitis developes.

  • When hepatitis B infection becomes chronic, there are usually detrimental effects to the liver.

Although the virus is spread fastest through groups of people willing to inject illegal drugs, it can also be passed through blood transfusions and by contact with blood and body fluids.

Hepatitis B Facts:

  • Of all cases of acute hepatitis (acute inflamation of the liver) in North America, it's estimated that about % are due to Hepatitis B. (Feldman: Sleisenger & Fordtran's Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease, 8th ed. Copyright © 2006 Saunders, An Imprint of Elsevier)
  • The liver inflamation caused by this virus can range from very minor to very severe.
  • In about 10% of cases, the body clears the virus on its own, and there may be no long-term damage - even without treatment.
Hepatitis B Virus
  • Linear single-stranded RNA virus (positive sense)
  • each virus a nm sphere
  • covered by lipid envelope containing
  • Classed in the family:
Hepatitis B Around the World - Epidemiology

Lab Test Results in Hepatitis C Infection

  • "Factors independently associated with HCC development included [alpha]-fetoprotein (AFP) greater than 20 ng/ml, [gamma]-glutamyl transferase (GGT) greater than 58 U/l, and male gender."(Kulik LM. Advancements in hepatocellular carcinoma. Current Opinion in Gastroenterology. 23(3):268-74, 2007 May)
  • "Most infected infants do not test HCV RNA positive during the first month of birth, suggesting that infection occurs at the time of delivery rather than in utero. By age 6 months, virtually all infected infants test positive for HCV RNA. Because maternal antibody may remain detectable in the uninfected infant for more than 1 year [37], [39], anti-HCV testing is not recommended before age 18 months ." [Bialek, Stephanie B, Terrault, Norah A. : The changing epidemiology and natural history of hepatitis C virus infection Clin Liver Dis - 01-NOV-2006; 10(4): 697-715]

Hepatitis B Virus-made Proteins

A Holistic View by Dr. Sculerati
References
  • Purcell, Robert H: Hepatitis C Virus (Flaviviridae), in Encyclopedia of Virology, Copyright © 2004, 2007 ElsevierAcademic Press, ISBN-13: 978-0-12-227030-7 Pages 657-663
  • Wong T -Hepatitis C: A review for primary care physicians CMAJ - 28-FEB-2006; 174(5): 649-59
  • Bialek, Stephanie B, Terrault, Norah A. : The changing epidemiology and natural history of hepatitis C virus infection Clin Liver Dis - 01-NOV-2006; 10(4): 697-715
Further Reading
External Links - The Infection

The United States federally-funded National Library of Medicine & National Institutes of Health have combined resources to write articles for public education. (To the right is the link URL for "hepatitis B", click there to read)

Articles aimed at patients without specialized knowlege or science education
External Links- The Virus

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ICTVdb/index.htm