Hepatitis B and end-stage liver disease

Ilan S Weisberg1, Robert S Brown, Samuel H Sigal

  • 1Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, New York Weill Cornell Medical Center, 525 E. 68th Street, New York, NY 10021, USA.

Clinics in Liver Disease
|November 6, 2007
PubMed

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is the most common cause of chronic hepatitis and end-stage liver disease worldwide. Untreated, chronic hepatitis B acquired early in life results in cirrhosis, liver failure, or hepatocellular carcinoma in up to 40% of individuals. Until recently, the options for a patient who had end-stage hepatitis B cirrhosis were severely limited, but during the past 15 years great strides have been made in prevention and treatment of hepatitis B cirrhosis. This article reviews recent advances in the understanding of the natural history, prevention, and medical management of HBV-related end-stage liver disease.

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