RT Book, Section
A1 Romero, José R.
A1 O'Connor, Judith A.
A2 Bishop, Warren P.
SR Print(0)
ID 55943206
T1 Chapter 24. Viral Hepatitis
T2 Pediatric Practice: Gastroenterology
YR 2010
FD 2010
PB The McGraw-Hill Companies
PP New York, NY
SN 978-0-07-163379-6
LK accesspediatrics.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=55943206
RD 2024/04/19
AB Infectious  hepatitis  is  a  syndrome  characterized  by  injury  (inflammation  or  death)  to  hepatocytes.  The  process  may  be  self-limiting  or  may  lead  to  fibrosis,  cirrhosis,  and  neoplastic  changes.  Clinically,  the  hepatocellular  insult  is  manifested  by  elevation  of  serum  aminotransferases  (alanine  aminotransferase  (ALT)  and  aspartate  transaminase  (AST)).  Typically,  the  alphabetically  designated  hepatitis  viruses  (A–G)  and,  in  particular,  hepatitis  viruses  A,  B,  and  C  are  those  generally  considered  by  the  clinician  when  evaluating  a  child  with  hepatitis  (Table  24–1).  However,  many  other  viral  agents  such  as  Epstein–Barr  virus  (EBV),  cytomegalovirus  (CMV),  coxsackieviruses,  echoviruses,  West  Nile  virus,  etc.,  have  the  potential  to  infect  the  liver  and  cause  clinical  or  subclinical  hepatitis  (Table  24–1).  This  chapter  will  focus  on  the  hepatitis  A,  B,  and  C  viruses,  the  major  causes  of  viral  hepatitis  in  children.