Viral Hepatitis
Viral Hepatitis is liver inflammation due to a virus which, in some cases, can lead to progressive liver disease. Our goal is to diagnose and treat people with viral hepatitis, while preventing spread to other people.
Services Comprehensive Hepatitis Care Management
- FREE, rapid Hepatitis C Screening
- New Patient Walk-In Hours, Monday-Friday, 8 AM to 3 PM in the John G. Bartlett Specialty Practice
- Expert viral hepatitis clinical providers with a dedicated nurse team
- 3 convenient clinical practice locations in the Baltimore area
- Non-invasive liver disease staging methods, including liver elastography (FibroScan)Individualized case management
- Specialty pharmacy services including pharmacotherapy support
- Access to new therapies and research opportunities
- Coordination of services for international patients
- FDA approved treatment for hepatitis B and C
- Telemedicine consultation in outlying Maryland counties
- Cure Club Support Group, Fridays at 2 PM in the John G. Bartlett Specialty Practice
Types of Viral Hepatitis in the United States
| Type | Cause | Illness | Vaccine Available |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hepatitis A (HAV) | Contaminated food or water or transmitted from person-to-person by the fecal-oral route. | Usually a short-term illness that resolves within 2 months | Yes |
| Hepatitis B (HBV) | Blood, semen or other body fluid is transferred from an infected person to an uninfected person. This can be through sexual contact, sharing drug-injection equipment or mother-to-baby at birth. | Can be a short term (acute) or long term (chronic) illness. Can lead to liver cirrhosis (scarring), liver cancer, or death. | Yes |
| Hepatitis C (HCV) | Blood, semen or other body fluid is transferred from an infected person to an uninfected person. This can be through sexual contact, sharing drug-injection or snorting equipment or mother-to-baby at birth. | Can be a short term (acute) or long term (chronic) illness. Can lead to liver cirrhosis (scarring), liver cancer, or death. Treatment is available to cure Hepatitis C | No |
| Hepatitis D (Delta Hepatitis HDV) | Blood, semen or other body fluid is transferred from an infected person to an uninfected person. This can be through sexual contact, sharing drug-injection equipment or mother-to-baby at birth. Occurs only in people infected with hepatitis B. | Can be a short term (acute) or long term (chronic) illness. Can lead to liver cirrhosis (scarring), liver cancer, or death. | No, but prevented in uninfected people by HBV vaccine |
Hepatitis B
Hepatitis B is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis B virus. Approximately 1 million people in the US have chronic hepatitis B infection. Most people do not know they are infected and may be free of symptoms for many years.
The spread of hepatitis B occurs when blood from an infected person enters the body of a person who is not infected.
Hepatitis B Spreads in the Following Ways:
- Birth (spread from an infected mother to her baby during birth)
- Sex with an infected partner
- Sharing items such as toothbrushes, razors or medical equipment such as a glucose monitor with an infected person
- Sharing needles, syringes, or drug preparation equipment
- Direct contact with the blood or open sores of an infected person
- Exposure to blood from needlesticks or other sharp instruments of an infected person
Blood tests are needed to diagnose hepatitis B and to determine whether or not a person is currently infected or has been infected in the past.
- Acute hepatitis B is a short-term illness that occurs within the first 6 months after someone is exposed to the virus. An acute infection can range in severity from a mild illness to a serious condition requiring hospitalization.
- Some people, especially adults, are able to clear the virus. People who clear the virus become immune and cannot get infected with the hepatitis B virus again. Acute infection can — but does not always — lead to chronic infection.
- Chronic hepatitis B is a lifelong infection with the hepatitis B virus. This can lead to serious health problems over time, including liver damage, cirrhosis, liver cancer, and even death.
People with chronic hepatitis B should be monitored for signs of liver disease and evaluated for possible treatment. Several medications have been approved for hepatitis B treatment to control the amount of virus in the body as a means to prevent liver damage over time. There is no cure for hepatitis B but new drugs are in development.
Hepatitis C
Current treatment can cure people of the Hepatitis C virus.
- Treatment usually involves 8-12 weeks of oral therapy (pills), usually well tolerated by patients.
- Approximately 4 million people have hepatitis C in the USA.
- People with Hepatitis C may be free of symptoms for many years and may not know they have a Hepatitis C infection.
Hepatitis C Testing Recommended For:
- People born from 1945-1965
- People who received clotting factors before 1987
- People who received blood transfusions or solid organ transplants before 1992
- Current or former injection drug users or users who snorted drugs through the nose
- Long term hemodialysis patients
- Healthcare works who get a needle stick
- People with HIV
- Children born to others with Hepatitis C
- People who get tattoos in unregulated facilities
FibroScan
FibroScan (transient liver elastography) is a non-invasive, painless method of staging liver disease. Using ultrasound, the machine measures fibrosis (scarring) and steatosis (fatty change) in your liver. The patient is asked to lie on their back, with their right arm over their head. The FibroScan operator uses a probe to send sound waves into the patient’s liver, measuring the stiffness of the liver. FibroScan and blood tests are used by health care providers to diagnose and follow up patients with liver disease.
Hepatitis Clinics
Clinicians specializing in viral hepatitis see patients at a number of settings in the Baltimore metropolitan area and through our telemedicine link.
John G. Bartlett Specialty Practice
The Park Building, Ground Floor
1717 E. Monument Street
Baltimore, MD 21205
Phone: 410-955-1725
Fax: 443-287-0141
Green Spring Station
Johns Hopkins Falls Concourse
10751 Falls Road, Suite 412
Lutherville, MD 21093
Phone: 410-583-2900
Fax: 443-583-2654
Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center
Comprehensive Care Practice
Mason F. Lord Building, East Tower, 2nd Floor
5200 Eastern Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21224
Phone: 443-287-9607
Fax: 443-287-0141
Western Region Telemedicine
Allegany County Health Department
12501 Willowbrook Road
Cumberland, MD 21502
Phone: 301-759-5101
Charitable Giving
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Hepatitis Patient Care Fund
The Hepatitis Patient Care Fund helps to remove barriers to the treatment of viral hepatitis such as co-payments and improved access to care for our patients.
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Chuck Spoler Fund
The Chuck Spoler Fund provides direct support for patients undergoing Hepatitis C treatment.
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