Table of Contents
Chronic hepatitis B infection significantly increases the risk for liver damage, including cirrhosis and liver cancer. In fact, hepatitis B is the leading cause of liver cancer worldwide. Liver disease, especially liver cancer, is the main cause of death in people with chronic hepatitis B.
Patients with hepatitis B who are co-infected with hepatitis D may develop a more severe form of acute infection than those who have only hepatitis B. Co-infection with hepatitis B and D increases the risk of developing acute liver failure. Patients with chronic hepatitis B who develop chronic hepatitis D also face high risk for cirrhosis. Hepatitis D occurs only in people who are already infected with hepatitis B.
Hepatitis C
Hepatitis C has an acute and chronic form but most people (75 - 85%) who are infected with the virus develop chronic hepatitis C. Chronic hepatitis C poses a risk for cirrhosis, liver cancer, or both.
- About 60 - 70% of patients with chronic hepatitis C eventually develop chronic liver disease.
- About 5 - 20% of patients with chronic hepatitis C develop cirrhosis over a period of 20 - 30 years. The longer the patient has had the infection, the greater the risk. Patients who have had hepatitis C for more than 60 years have a 70% chance of developing cirrhosis.
- Of these patients, about 4% eventually develop liver cancer. (Liver cancer rarely develops without cirrhosis first being present.)
- About 1 - 5% of people with chronic hepatitis C eventually die from cirrhosis or liver cancer.
Patients with chronic hepatitis C may also be at higher risk for non-liver disorders, including:
- Cryoglobulinemia (a disorder in which protein clumps form in the blood). This can cause skin rash and ulcers, kidney problems, arthritis, and sensations (such as tingling or pain) in the hands and feet. People with such symptoms may have particular difficulties with interferon, which can have similar side effects.
- Porphyria cutanea tarda (a disorder that causes skin color and texture changes and sensitivity to light)
- Type 2 diabetes, particularly among younger people with hepatitis C who are overweight
- Glomuerulonephritis, a kidney disease caused by inflammation of the kidney
- Certain types of lymphomas (cancers of the lymphatic system), such as non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
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Review Date: 09/29/2010
Reviewed By: Harvey Simon, MD, Editor-in-Chief, In-Depth Reports; Associate
Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Physician,
Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD,
MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)
