ACUTE HEPATITIS

Course overview

ACUTE HEPATITIS IS A TERM USED TO DESCRIBE A WIDE VARIETY OF CONDITIONS CHARACTERIZED BY ACUTE INFLAMMATION OF THE HEPATIC PARENCHYMA OR INJURY TO HEPATOCYTES RESULTING IN ELEVATED LIVER FUNCTION INDICES. IN GENERAL, HEPATITIS IS CLASSIFIED AS ACUTE OR CHRONIC BASED ON THE DURATION OF THE INFLAMMATION AND INSULT TO THE HEPATIC PARENCHYMA. IF THE PERIOD OF INFLAMMATION OR HEPATOCELLULAR INJURY LASTS FOR LESS THAN SIX MONTHS, CHARACTERIZED BY NORMALIZATION OF THE LIVER FUNCTION TESTS, IT IS CALLED ACUTE HEPATITIS. IN CONTRAST, IF THE INFLAMMATION OR HEPATOCELLULAR INJURY PERSISTS BEYOND SIX MONTHS, IT IS TERMED CHRONIC HEPATITIS. THE MOST COMMON INFECTIOUS CAUSE OF ACUTE HEPATITIS IS SECONDARY TO A VIRAL INFECTION(ACUTE VIRAL HEPATITIS). NEVERTHELESS, ACUTE HEPATITIS CAN RESULT FROM A WIDE VARIETY OF NONINFECTIOUS CAUSES THAT INCLUDE BUT NOT LIMITED TO ARE DRUGS (DRUG-INDUCED HEPATITIS), ALCOHOL (ALCOHOLIC HEPATITIS), IMMUNOLOGIC (AUTOIMMUNE HEPATITIS, PRIMARY BILIARY CHOLANGITIS) OR AS A RESULT OF INDIRECT INSULT SECONDARY TO BILIARY TRACT DYSFUNCTION (CHOLESTATIC HEPATITIS), PREGNANCY-RELATED LIVER DYSFUNCTION, SHOCK OR METASTATIC DISEASE.