Liver damage and the resulting inability of the liver to perform its functions are the main dangers of chronic viral hepatitis. As the disease progresses, the liver goes through several stages.
Infection: When the hepatitis B virus enters the body, it invades liver cells and begins to replicate, producing new copies of the virus that damage other liver cells, thereby spreading the infection throughout the liver tissue.
Inflammation—acute hepatitis, i.e., inflammation of the liver tissue; at this stage, symptoms are mild; only one-third of patients develop jaundice, and many people are unaware they have hepatitis B; 80–90% of those infected with hepatitis B experience spontaneous recovery, while in the remainder, hepatitis B progresses to the chronic stage.
Fibrosis is the result of chronic inflammation, leading to the formation of scar tissue in the liver; fibrosis indicates that the infection occurred a long time ago, perhaps even decades ago.
Cirrhosis is the fourth stage of fibrosis, in which the structure of the liver tissue is disrupted; in severe (decompensated) cirrhosis, organ function is impaired.
