Hepatitis B viral infection: part I. Clinical features.

As a result of early basic biomedical research, the hepatitis B virus has become the best understood cause of viral liver infection in man. The virus has a unique antigenic structure and elicits specific antibody responses. A proper understanding of the serologic events during infection is essential for accurate diagnosis and management. Only 50 percent of infected individuals manifest clinical signs of disease, but 5 to 10 percent develop either a chronic asymptomatic antigen carrier state or chronic hepatitis. Some patients progress to cirrhosis and possibly to primary hepatocellular carcinoma.