[Clinical aspects of acute hepatitis]

The definition of hepatitis is based on morphological criteria. The constellation of biochemical findings informs about form, severity and course. A minimum diagnostic programme allows to clarify typical cases. Aetiopathogenetically the feature of a hepatitis can be evoked by numerous noxae. At present we know virus A, virus B and the group non-A/non-B as hepatotropic viruses. From the latter we succeeded in delimitation of a virus hepatitis C. The virus hepatitis as cyclic infectious disease has various forms of course. They are expressed above all by dose and virulence of the virus, by mode of infection and immune defence of the organism of the host. In an initial complete picture with prodromi and jaundice there is in most cases a favourable prognosis with complete cure, whereas mitigated initial courses have a high tendency to chronicity. As to the three most important virus hepatitides the essential parameters and data as well as the differential-diagnostic possibilities are compiled.