🩺 General MedicineInfectious / HepaticStudentInternResident

Viral Hepatitis

Also known as: hepatitis · hepatitis A B C E · jaundice · liver infection

Inflammation of the liver from hepatitis viruses. A and E spread faeco-orally (usually acute, self-limiting); B and C spread via blood/sexual/vertical routes and can become chronic, causing cirrhosis and liver cancer.

Source · Reviewed 2026-08-15 · v1.0— AI-assisted draft — verify against the cited guideline before clinical use.

⚕️ Education only — not medical advice. Verify against the latest official guideline and your local protocol; confirm every drug dose against the cited source before clinical use.

Who gets it

Depends on the virus — A/E with unsafe water/food; B/C with unsafe blood, injections, sex and mother-to-child transmission.

Red flags — escalate / refer

Acute liver failure — encephalopathy, coagulopathy (rising INR), deepening jaundice → emergency/transplant unit.
Hepatitis E in pregnancy can be severe.

Work-up / diagnosis

1LFTs (raised transaminases and bilirubin) plus viral serology/NAT to identify the type (anti-HAV/HEV IgM; HBsAg; anti-HCV → HCV RNA).
2Assess severity (INR, albumin, encephalopathy) and whether infection is acute or chronic.

Management — overview

Acute A/E: supportive care and hygiene; watch for (rare) acute liver failure.
Chronic hepatitis B: antiviral therapy for eligible patients; monitor and screen for liver cancer.
Chronic hepatitis C: direct-acting antivirals cure most people.
Prevent: hepatitis A and B vaccination, safe injections/blood, and prevent mother-to-child transmission (hepatitis B birth-dose vaccine ± immunoglobulin).

In-depthFull dosing & advanced protocol

Drug dosing

Chronic hepatitis B antiviral (tenofovir/entecavir)

Eligible chronic HBV

Adult dose: Long-term oral therapy per eligibility
Route: Oral

WHOWHO — Hepatitis (B & C) guidelines ↗

Hepatitis C direct-acting antivirals (pangenotypic)

Chronic HCV (curative)

Adult dose: A fixed-duration DAA course
Route: Oral

WHOWHO — Hepatitis (B & C) guidelines ↗

Hepatitis A/B vaccination (incl. HBV birth dose)

Prevention

Adult dose: Per national immunisation schedule
Route: Intramuscular

WHOWHO Model List of Essential Medicines (electronic EML) (2025 (24th)) ↗

Chronic HBV/HCV & acute liver failure

HBV: treat eligible patients and provide hepatocellular-carcinoma surveillance.
HCV: pangenotypic DAAs cure the great majority — test and treat.
Acute liver failure: manage encephalopathy/coagulopathy and refer early to a transplant unit; hepatitis E is dangerous in pregnancy.

WHOWHO — Hepatitis (B & C) guidelines ↗

References

Guidelines change. If something here is out of date, tell us — we keep these current.

🚩 Report outdated / suggest update

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👤 Who gets it

🚩 Red flags — escalate / refer

🔎 Work-up / diagnosis

🧭 Management — overview

💊 Drug dosing

Chronic hepatitis B antiviral (tenofovir/entecavir)

Hepatitis C direct-acting antivirals (pangenotypic)

Hepatitis A/B vaccination (incl. HBV birth dose)

📈 Chronic HBV/HCV & acute liver failure

📚 References

More protocols

👤 Who gets it

🚩 Red flags — escalate / refer

🔎 Work-up / diagnosis

🧭 Management — overview

💊 Drug dosing

Chronic hepatitis B antiviral (tenofovir/entecavir)

Hepatitis C direct-acting antivirals (pangenotypic)

Hepatitis A/B vaccination (incl. HBV birth dose)

📈 Chronic HBV/HCV & acute liver failure

📚 References

More protocols

Who gets it

Red flags — escalate / refer

Work-up / diagnosis

Management — overview

Drug dosing

Chronic HBV/HCV & acute liver failure

References

Who gets it

Red flags — escalate / refer

Work-up / diagnosis

Management — overview

Drug dosing

Chronic HBV/HCV & acute liver failure

References