Viral Hepatitis Other Than A, B, or C

Abstract

Viral hepatitis is a global, although variably distributed, health problem associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Infection with a hepatitis virus leads to acute inflammation and liver cell damage (hepatocyte injury). Such infection may be symptomatic or subclinical and may result in disease resolution, death from fulminant hepatic failure, or development of a chronic disease state. Whereas the chronic infection with hepatitis B and C accounts for a global burden of more than 500,000,000 cases, the global death rate from all types of hepatitis is approximately 1 million people annually. This review focuses on the virology, epidemiology, clinical features, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of hepatitis D and hepatitis E, as well as other viruses associated with hepatitis. Figures show the global distribution of hepatitis D infection, elevation of anti–hepatitis D virus antibodies in hepatitis B/hepatitis D virus coinfection, geographic distribution of hepatitis E virus by genotype, factors significant in the pathogenesis of hepatitis E, and pattern of antibody elevation in hepatitis E. The table lists proposed diagnostic criteria for hepatitis E virus. This review contains 5 highly rendered figures, 1 table, and 42 references. Key words: hepatitis D, hepatitis D virus, hepatitis E, hepatitis E virus, non-A hepatitis, non-B hepatitis, non-C hepatitis, viral hepatitis