[Hepatitis E: current concepts]

Hepatitis E belongs to the group of enetral hepatites. Its earlier cases caused by genotype I and II viruses were reported largely from epidemics affecting tropical and subtropical countries. Sporadic cases of hepatitis E recorded later in West Europe, North America, Southeast Asia, and Oceania were caused by genotype III and IV viruses. Until recently the disease has been supposed to be reversible and have positive outcome barring women at late stages of pregnancy in whom cases of fulminate clinical course and death were described. This review focuses on recent publications devoted to hepatitis E in immunodeficient patients, such (as recipients of solid organ transplants, HIV-infected subjects and those treated with chemotherapy. Immunosuppression was shown to turn the disease into the chronic form or liver cirrhosis. Also, the infection has extrahepatic, mostly autoimmune complications. Current approaches to antiviral therapy and prevention of hepatitis E are discussed.