Management of Acute and Chronic Hepatitis B and C Viral Infections

Abstract

Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver that can be caused by over alcohol and toxin chemical consumption, some medications, and viruses, such as hepatitis B, C, D, and E. The hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) can develop acute and chronic viral infections that are major causes of liver cirrhosis, liver cancer, liver transplantation, and liver related death worldwide. Both of these two viruses can transmit through the vertical or horizontal route, such as blood or body fluids from an infected person, unprotected sex with an infected person, sharing needles with infected person, and from infected mother to baby during birth. Symptoms of both diseases are similar, and some common symptoms are jaundice, loss of appetite, fever, fatigue, dark urine, joint pain, abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting, etc. The incubation period is 8-20 weeks for hepatitis B, and 2-6 weeks for hepatitis C. At present there are two vaccines of HBV, but no vaccine available for HCV.