A Clinical Approach to Non-A, Non-B Hepatitis

Non-A, non-B agents are currently the major cause of posttransfusion hepatitis and a major cause of chronic active hepatitis in the United States. Recent investigations suggest the clinical entity of non-A, non-B hepatitis results from infection with one of at least two distinct viruses. These viruses produce hepatitis with different incubation periods, induce different histopathologic characteristics, and have different antigenic determinants. The clinical and virologic aspects of non-A, non-B hepatitis are reviewed.