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Abstract Details
Global Epidemiology of Viral Hepatitis
Gastroenterol Clin North Am. 2020 Jun;49(2):179-189.doi: 10.1016/j.gtc.2020.01.001.
Homie Razavi1
Author information
1Center for Disease Analysis Foundation, 1120 West South Boulder Road, Suite 102, Lafayette, CO 80026, USA. Electronic address: hrazavi@cdafound.org.
Abstract
Viral hepatitis (A, B, C, D, and E) is the leading cause of inflammation of liver tissue (hepatitis). The disease burden associated with hepatitis A and E occurs shortly after infection; it is more severe among adults. With hepatitis A and E, the number of incident cases (new acute infections) is important from a public health perspective. Long-term hepatitis has been shown to cause cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma in patients. The disease burden associated with hepatitis B, C, and D appears 10 to 20 years after infection. Thus, the prevalence of these infections is important from a public health perspective.