A 33-year-old member asked:
What's the difference between acute and chronic viral hepatitis?
1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in
Dr. Dan Fisheranswered
Internal Medicine 29 years experience
Short and long: Acute hepatitis is the period of initial infection in which your naive immune system develops antibodies to the invading hep a, b or c. If everything works well your body defeats the infection and the invaders are cleared from your system. In chronic hepatitis the invading hep b or c particles evade the immune system and persist in the cells of your liver causing longstanding damage.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.8k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
Last updated Jul 3, 2012
People also asked
Connect with a U.S. board-certified doctor by text or video anytime, anywhere.
$44 video appointments with $19/month membership*
*Billed $57 every 3 months. Cancel anytime.
Disclaimer:
Content on HealthTap (including answers) should not be used for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and interactions on HealthTap do not create a doctor-patient relationship. Never disregard or delay professional medical advice in person because of anything on HealthTap. Call your doctor or 911 if you think you may have a medical emergency.
