The global obesity epidemic has dramatically increased the prevalence of NAFLD and made it the leading cause of chronic liver disease in Western nations. NAFLD is considered the hepatic manifestation of the metabolic syndrome and shares a strong association with…
Alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) remains a challenging enigma for basic scientists and clinicians. Despite extensive research and clinical trials since the 1940s, many important facets of this disease have yet to be resolved. Paramount among these important questions are the…
Vascular disorders of the liver are characterized by a primary alteration in blood or lymphatic vessels, excluding the vascular changes secondary to parenchymal or biliary diseases. Primary alterations consist of obstruction, fistula, aneurysm, or absence (due to agenesis or disappearance)…
The liver serves as the initial site of filtration of absorbed intestinal luminal contents and is particularly susceptible to contact with microbial antigens of all varieties. In addition to infection by viruses (see Chapter 78, Chapter 79, Chapter 80, Chapter…
In addition to hepatitis A to E, a number of other viruses have been shown to be hepatotropic in that viremia is occasionally associated with elevations in serum aminotransferase levels and viral replication may occur in hepatocytes; however, causality with…
Acknowledgment This chapter is dedicated to the memory of Krzysztof Krawczynski, MD, PhD, who contributed to the chapter in previous editions of the book. Hepatitis E is a form of viral hepatitis caused by HEV. The disease, often acute, self-limited,…
HDV (also known as the delta agent) is the causative virus of hepatitis D and is associated with both acute and chronic hepatitis. It is one of the most severe forms of chronic viral hepatitis. HDV is classified as a…
Acknowledgment The authors acknowledge the contributions of Drs. Heiner Wedemeyer, Jacqueline G. O’Leary, and Gary L. Davis to this chapter in previous editions of the book. More than 71 million people worldwide are chronically infected with HCV. , In the…
Acknowledgment Drs. Jennifer T. Wells and Robert Perrillo contributed to this chapter in previous editions of the book. An estimated 260 million persons in the world today are chronically infected with HBV. The majority of these individuals will not experience…
Hepatitis A is the most common form of acute viral hepatitis worldwide. It is a self-limited infection caused by a non cytopathic, nonenveloped, single-stranded RNA virus that is transmitted primarily by the fecal-oral route by contaminated food or water and…