Concerning the abdomen.

A new, sudden infection.

A protein that - in the presence of an antigen - is synthesised in the body to neutralise the effects of the antigen. Antibodies play a key role in the mechanisms of the immune system.

With no noticeable symptoms.

Autoimmunity is the inability of an organism to recognize its structural components as "endogenous" (being part of its own body) and is accompanied by the formation of antibodies against endogenous molecules.

Yellow bile pigment; an excess of bilirubin in the blood leads to jaundice.

A tissue sample from the living body for microscopic examination.

A grading system for assessing the severity of hepatitis, with a prognosis based on different stages, based on the results of medical examination.

Inflammation of the liver lasts at least six months, usually caused by infection with hepatitis B, C, and/or D viruses.

One speaks of a co-infection or simultaneous infection when there is a simultaneous infection with two different viruses (e.g. HBV and HDV; this case is rare and difficult to detect).

One speaks of a coinfection or simultaneous infection when there is a simultaneous infection with two different viruses (e.g. HBV and HDV; this case is rare and difficult to detect).

Contaminated means “covered by a contamination” or simply “contaminated” or “infected”

Means "covered by contamination" or simply ‘infested’ or ‘infected’.

Derivatives are chemical compounds derived, modified or metabolised from a basic substance.

A protein capable of activating or accelerating a chemical reaction

Fibrocytes are connective tissue cells.

A blood test to help evaluate and manage liver fibrosis. The FibroMeter test provides a reading between 0 and 1 that represents the likelihood of liver fibrosis or cirrhosis.

A test that makes it possible to make a statement about the hardening of the liver. The more severe the fibrosis, the harder (stiffer) the liver is. This test has the advantage of being painless and non-invasive.

A tissue change caused by surgery, chemicals, or a virus that results in a loss of elasticity, deposits of collagen fibres in the organ, and/or scarring, followed by impaired blood flow (hypertension).

A non-invasive blood test used to diagnose and quantify liver fibrosis using various blood markers.

Occurring suddenly and progressing quickly.

Pertaining to the gastrointestinal/digestive tract.

Concerning the liver

In medicine, the term decompensation describes the failure of the body's own counter-regulation and repair processes in the course of a disease. Decompensation occurs when the body can no longer compensate for the defects caused by an illness.

A disease caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV) that attacks liver cells and causes inflammation. This virus is mainly found in the blood and sexual fluids of infected individuals

A disease caused by the hepatitis D virus (HDV), which can only reproduce in the presence of the hepatitis B virus. This superinfection leads to a much more severe course of the disease compared to an HBV monoinfection

Hepatocellular carcinoma, also known as HCC, is a cancer of the liver that develops from the liver cells (hepatocytes) and, in the vast majority of cases, arises from a liver that has already been damaged as a result of a chronic disease.

Liver cells

A medical examination method that penetrates the organism and thus causes injury.

Not reversible; effects produced incapable of being reversed.

A yellow colouring of the whites of the eyes, skin, and mucous membranes, indicating the presence of bilirubin in the blood, which is normally eliminated by the liver

A body organ located in the right upper abdomen that plays a role in synthesising and storing proteins. The liver is also the organ of metabolism and is responsible for breaking down and excreting metabolic products.

Liver cancer occurs when cells in the liver (hepatocytes) degenerate and start to grow out of control.

A disease of the liver in which connective tissue proliferates and healthy liver tissue is replaced (fibrosis). This gradually leads to impaired liver function. It is a serious and progressive condition that can cause hardening, scarring and shrinkage of the liver.

The inability of the liver to maintain its normal synthetic and metabolic functions.

A surgical procedure in which the liver is transferred from one individual to another.

From the English Model for End-Stage Liver Disease. This score, which is calculated from blood data, is used, among other things, to determine whether the patient can benefit from a liver transplant.

Value determined by examining the tissue sample taken from the liver during a biopsy (score), which provides information about the degree of inflammation and fibrosis status. The letter A indicates hepatitis activity, the letter F indicates the degree of fibrosis. The letters are given together with a number, which indicates the severity of the disease.

A medical examination method that does not penetrate into the body and therefore does not cause injury.

Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) – a detection method for amplifying DNA fragments to obtain large numbers of identical copies of the same DNA fragment.

If an individual  knowingly becomes acutely infected with hepatitis B (HBV), it is recommended that the individual seek post-exposure prophylaxis, which is effective if administered within 48 hours of initial exposure.  

Prevalence is the frequency of a disease or symptom in a population at a given point in time.

RNA performs various functions in the body. The most important is the conversion of genetic information into proteins, the so-called protein biosynthesis. For this purpose, the mRNA is transcribed as a complementary template strand on the DNA. Protein biosynthesis then takes place in that proteins are synthesised from the RNA strand by translation.

One speaks of a co-infection or simultaneous infection when there is a simultaneous infection with two different viruses (e.g. HBV and HDV; this case is rare and difficult to detect).

One speaks of a superinfection when the patient is already a chronic carrier of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) and becomes infected with the hepatitis D virus (HDV) in a second infection (this case occurs relatively frequently).

Virulence is the power of infection or the degree of expression of the pathogenic potency of a pathogen.