Interferon is currently considered to be the only accepted effective treatment for chronic viral hepatitis. A history of the treatment of chronic hepatitis B and C before the use of interferon is presented here. Hepatitis B virus does not seem to be directly cytopathic and the disease is known to be modulated largely by the host's immune response. Experience with immunosuppressant and immunosti...

BACKGROUND The current standard treatment of chronic hepatitis C in Bosnia and Herzegovina consists of pegylated interferon alpha in combination with ribavirin. Interferon therapy has many psychiatric side effects, with depressive symptomatology being most prominent. The aim of the study was to establish the frequency and severity of depression in patients with chronic hepatitis C during two mo...

Introduction: Prison, as the most important place for the transmission of infectious diseases, has particular importance, and prison populations are at high risk for infectious diseases like Hepatitis B & C. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of Hepatitis B & C among male inmates in six prisons of different provinces in Iran in 2012. Methods: In...

The burden of chronic hepatitis C infection worldwide is significant. Approximately 4.1 million people in the United States have anti-HCV antibodies. The prevalence worldwide varies, but reaches greater than 3.5% in some regions (North African, East Asia). The burden of hepatitis C virus is reflected in the morbidity and mortality of this disease, as well as the societal costs. The morbidity an...

Background: Hepatitis viruses are non-cytopathic viruses that lead to the infection and pathogenesis of liver diseases as a result of immunologically mediated event. Objective: To investigate the expression of human inflammatory cytokines in chronic hepatitis B patients according to the severity of the infection. Methods: We recruited a total of 120 patients, 40 of whom from cirrhotic, 40 non-c...

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to evaluate the relative contribution of chronic illness and the physical effects such illness on the mental status of chronic hepatitis B patients by comparing them to inactive hepatitis B carriers, based on Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) and Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HARS) scores. MATERIALS AND METHODS The study included 444 participants: 24...

Acute hepatitis B is a self limiting disease that resolves spontaneously in 95% of patients who acquire the infection in adulthood. Patients with acute hepatitis B, however, usually take between four and 12 weeks to recover; the personal, social, and sanitary costs associated with this are high. Also, 5-10% of patients with acute hepatitis B go on to develop chronic liver disease. Hepatitis C, ...

Viral hepatitis today is a major global health threat, in particular hepatitis B if unchecked can turn into an epidemic. Hepatitis B infection is particularly important in the AsianPacific region with the majority of infections being acquired perinatally or in early childhood.Concurrent infections with hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV viruses may occur and complicate the natural course of chron...

Departments of Clinical Studies and Statistics, Radiation Effects Research Foundation, Institute of Radiation Epidemiology, Radiation Effects Association, Health Science, Hygiene, Hiroshima University School of Medicine INTRODUCTION: Increased liver cancer and cirrhosis among atomic-bomb survivors have been reported based on mortality studies or tumor registries . In the Adult Health Study (AHS...