The diagnosis and management of acute viral hepatitis.

While there is a declining incidence of many infectious diseases, viral hepatitis persists as a major problem. In fact, there would appear to be an increasing incidence of hepatitis B paralleling the rising problem of drug addiction. The discovery of Australia antigen, now called hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAG), represented a major breakthrough in our understanding of viral hepatitis. More recently, serological tests have become available for hepatitis A virus (HAV) which will further facilitate our understanding of acute and chronic hepatitis.