Historically, it was called infectious hepatitis. Today, the disease is more commonly known as hepatitis A, named after the virus that causes it. Each year, approximately 1.4 million people worldwide and 143,000 people in the United States become infected with hepatitis A, costing patients and employers millions of dollars in lost wages and lost productivity . Hepatitis B is a viral infection that infects the liver and causes inflammation. It is one of the fastest spreading sexually transmitted diseases in the U.S., infecting 300,000 Americans each year.
Most individuals infected with the virus are adolescents and young adults.
Ninety percent of people with hepatitis B recover. In up to 10 percent of cases people infected with hepatitis B develop chronic hepatitis B and are infected for life. Chronic hepatitis can be fairly harmless, or it may be progressive and lead to cirrhosis, liver cancer, and death. Chances of developing liver cancer are 200 times higher if you are a chronic carrier. Damage to the liver cannot be reversed.