Some patients with chronic viral hepatitis develop cirrhosis. There are five known types of viral hepatitis, each caused by a different virus. Acute hepatitis A and acute hepatitis E do not lead to chronic hepatitis. In a few of these patients, the chronic hepatitis B progresses to cirrhosis. Many patients may have no symptoms and are found to have cirrhosis by physical examin-ation and laboratory tests, which may have been performed in the course of treatment for unrelated illnesses.
Treatment depends on the type and stage of the cirrhosis.
Stopping or reversing the process requires removal of the cause. In cirrhosis caused by viral hepatitis an approved approach is the use of interferon to improve immune responses to viral infection. Experts estimate that more than half of all liver diseases could be prevented if people acted upon the knowledge we already have. Each year more than 25 million Americans are afflicted with liver and gallbladder diseases and more than 25,000 die of chronic liver disease and cirrhosis. There are few effective treatments for most life-threatening liver diseases, except for liver transplants.