ABSTRACT
En esta revisión se describen los virus hepatotropos actualmente conocidos, su epidemiología con referencia especial a los datos nacionales relativos a los virus A, B, C y E; su historia natural y sus aspectos clínicos más relevantes. Se enfatizan, además los diferentes marcadores virales serológicos, para el diagnóstico de infección aguda o crónica. Se incluyen también los diferentes tratamientos y las medidas de prevención (pasivas o activas) recomendadas actualmente
Subject(s)
Humans , Hepatitis, Viral, Human/etiology , Hepatitis Antigens , Flaviviridae/drug effects , Flaviviridae/pathogenicity , Hepacivirus/drug effects , Hepacivirus/pathogenicity , Hepatitis B virus/drug effects , Hepatitis B virus/pathogenicity , Hepatitis Delta Virus/drug effects , Hepatitis Delta Virus/pathogenicity , Hepatitis E virus/drug effects , Hepatitis E virus/pathogenicity , Hepatitis, Viral, Human/drug therapy , Hepatitis, Viral, Human/epidemiology , Hepatitis, Viral, Human/prevention & control , Hepatovirus/drug effects , Hepatovirus/isolation & purification , Hepatovirus/pathogenicityABSTRACT
Viral hepatitis is a cause of considerable morbidity and mortality, both from acute infection and its chronic sequelae. Hepatitis B virus [HBV], hepatitis D virus [HDV] and hepatitis C virus [HCV] are the most important in terms of causing major morbidity and mortality throughout the world. According to the World Health Organization [WHO] estimates, 2.000 million people have been infected by HBV worldwide. About 5% of all HBsAg carriers are estimated to be infected with HDV. Although not as prevalent as HBV infection in terms of worldwide figures, HCV more often results in chronic hepatitis [40 - 60% of post transfusion hepatitis patients], progressing to cirrhosis in 20% of cases and sometimes to hepatocellular carcinoma. Recently, a new flavivirus hepatitis G virus [HGV] has been identified as an uncommon cause of post transfusion hepatitis, which has infected 1.5% of blood donors