Immunologic aspects of acute and chronic hepatitis B and C

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Abstract
Hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus infection are among the most common and serious forms of liver disease worldwide. More than 500 million people are infected with these parenterally transmitted viruses, and the spectrum of disease ranges from acute hepatitis, which is self-limited in most cases, to chronic hepatitis, which eventually causes severe, life-threatening complications such as liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. The clinical course of disease not only reflects the biologic properties and pathogenicity of these two hepatitis viruses but is also the result of the specific interaction between each virus and the immune system of the infected host. This paper analyzes the role of the hepatitis B and hepatitis C virus-specific immune response in viral clearance as well as disease pathogenesis and discusses new therapeutic concepts for the treatment of chronic disease.

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