Overview of hepatitis B and transplantation in the hepatitis B patient

Hepatitis B is a disease that infects 300,000 people in the United States e ach year, resulting in 15.000-30,000 cases of chronic hepatitis. Outcomes i nclude death; development of chronic carrier state, chronic hepatitis, fibr osis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) carriers, especially those with cirrhosis, are at high risk for dev elopment of hepatocellular carcinoma. Histologically, chronic carriers of H BsAg may have a range of degree of tissue changes, ranging from normal, to varying degrees of portal or lobular inflammation, to significant cell inju ry with widespread necrosis, fibrosis and cirrhosis, Current histological g rading systems reflect both graded inflammation and stage of fibrosis.