Viral Hepatitis, 4th Edition

Edited by Howard C. Thomas, Anna S.F. Lok, Stephen A. Locarnini, and Arie J. Zuckerman. Wiley-Blackwell; 2014; 608 pp; $275.00.

This new edition is a compilation of important and useful information on all aspects of viral hepatitis. The text consists of 43 chapters, divided into seven sections, written by more than 50 international expert authors, plus a helpful index.

The introductory chapters included in Section 1 are devoted to hepatic regeneration and immunology. In Sections 2 and 3, the authors consider all aspects of hepatitis A and B, including clinical manifestations, natural history, treatment, and prevention. There is a chapter on molecular variants of hepatitis B and a final chapter discussing liver transplantation for chronic hepatitis B.

There are 11 chapters in the next section, which is concerned with hepatitis C. Prevention, molecular biology, epidemiology, host immune responses, clinical manifestations, treatment, and animal models are covered in detail. Although the new clinical trials of direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) without interferon could not be included because of the publishing date, there is an extensive generic review of some of these agents. In subsequent sections, the authors review hepatitis D and E in the same comprehensive manner as the previous sections.

The final section is a conglomerate of topics including treatment of acute liver failure, viral coinfection of the liver, occupational aspects of hepatitis, and neonatal pediatric infection.

Each chapter has a summary and extensive references. The index is easy to use and illustrations and diagrams are very helpful.

As with previous editions, the 4th edition is the gold standard text on viral hepatitis. The authors have provided the reader with an easy to read yet scientific and in-depth review of all aspects of viral hepatitis. Some chapters or areas of detailed molecular biology may not be of interest to all clinicians, but this text serves as a source of core information. Although pricey, I would recommend this text as an addition to the library of anyone interested in liver disease.