Hepatitis natural history, complications and prognosis

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Differential Diagnosis

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1] Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief:

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Overview

Natural History

Clinically, the course of acute hepatitis varies widely from mild symptoms requiring no treatment to fulminant hepatic failure needing liver transplantation. Acute viral hepatitis is more likely to be asymptomatic in younger people. Symptomatic individuals may present after convalescent stage of 7 to 10 days, with the total illness lasting 2 to 6 weeks.^[1]

Complications

Liver cancer
Liver failure
Permanent liver damage, called cirrhosis
Esophageal varices that can bleed
Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (fluid in the abdomen that becomes infected)

Prognosis

The prognosis varies from one type of hepatitis to another.

References

↑ V.G. Bain and M. Ma, Acute Viral Hepatitis, Chapter 14, First principle of gastroenterology (an online text book)

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[bain-1] V.G. Bain and M. Ma, Acute Viral Hepatitis, Chapter 14, First principle of gastroenterology (an online text book)

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