PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - William D. Carey
AU  - Glrish Patel
TI  - Viral hepatitis in the 1990s, part II: hepatitis B and delta virus
DP  - 1992 Jul 01
TA  - Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine
PG  - 393--401
VI  - 59
IP  - 4
4099  - http://www.ccjm.org/content/59/4/393.short
4100  - http://www.ccjm.org/content/59/4/393.full
SO  - Cleve Clin J Med1992 Jul 01; 59
AB  - Parenterally shared blood and sexual transmission are the main routes of spread of hepatitis B in the United States. Most cases resolve spontaneously without specific treatment. Passive immunization provides temporary protection in certain postexposure settings. Active immunization achieves high protection rates. Duration of protection and the need for booster doses are not well defined. Many cases of fulminant B hepatitis, severe chronic active hepatitis, and end-stage cirrhosis secondary to hepatitis B are due to hepatitis delta virus infection. The delta virus requires the presence of hepatitis B for expression of disease. Hepatitis B prophylaxis should help eliminate delta hepatitis.