Review
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2022. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Meta-Anal. Jun 28, 2022; 10(3): 99-121
Published online Jun 28, 2022. doi: 10.13105/wjma.v10.i3.99
Viral hepatitis: A narrative review of hepatitis A–E
Zunirah Ahmed, Akshay Shetty, David W Victor, Sudha Kodali
Zunirah Ahmed, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Underwood Center for Digestive Disorders, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, United States
Akshay Shetty, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, United States
David W Victor, Sudha Kodali, Department of Hepatology, J C Walter Jr Transplant Center, Sherrie and Alan Conover Center for Liver Disease and Transplantation, Weill Cornell Medical College, Houston, TX 77030, United States
Author contributions: Ahmed Z, Shetty A, and Kodali S contributed equally to this work; Ahmed Z, Shetty A, Victor DW and Kodali S designed the research study; Ahmed Z Kodali S performed the research; Ahmed Z, Shetty A, Victor DW and Kodali S wrote the manuscript; all authors have read and approve the final manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors declare no conflict of interest.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Sudha Kodali, MD, Associate Professor, Department of Hepatology, Clinical Medicine Houston Methodist Academic Institute, J C Walter Jr Transplant Center, Sherrie and Alan Conover Center for Liver Disease and Transplantation, 6445 Main St Houston, TX 77030, United States. skodali@houstonmethodist.org
Received: February 16, 2022
Peer-review started: February 16, 2022
First decision: April 13, 2022
Revised: April 27, 2022
Accepted: June 24, 2022
Article in press: June 24, 2022
Published online: June 28, 2022
Abstract

Viral hepatitis continues to be a major health concern leading to hepatic decompensation ranging from acute hepatitis to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. The hepatic and extrahepatic manifestations are not only debilitating but also associated with a significant economic burden. Over the last two decades, the field of virology has made significant breakthroughs leading to a better understanding of the pathophysiology of viral hepatitis, which in turn has led to new therapeutic options. The advent of direct-acting antiviral agents changed the landscape of hepatitis C virus (HCV) therapy, and new drugs are in the pipeline for chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) treatment. There has also been a significant emphasis on screening and surveillance programs, widespread availability of vaccines, and linkage of care. Despite these efforts, significant gaps persist in care, and there is a pressing need for increased collaboration and teamwork across the globe to achieve a reduction of disease burden and elimination of HBV and HCV.

Keywords: Viral hepatitis, Recent advances, Novel therapies, Barriers to cure, Future direction

Core tip: Viral hepatitis is an important etiology for acute and chronic hepatic dysfunction with significant mortality and morbidity. This review aims to summarize the recent advances in the field and to focus on new novel therapeutic approaches as well as highlighting the barriers to achieving a complete cure. We also focus on preventive measures and strategies to optimize care.