Liver fibrosis and chronic viral hepatitis.

Liver fibrosis results from chronic damage to the liver in conjunction with the progressive accumulation of fibrillar extracellular matrix proteins. Fibrosis progression in patients with chronic viral hepatitis is a dynamic process where hepatic stellate cells, the most important contributor cell type, respond to a variety of host genetic factors and viral proteins. The abuse of alcohol, superimposed fatty liver disease, and age at the time of viral infection are some of the factors that accelerate liver fibrosis. Liver biopsy remains the gold standard to diagnose fibrosis and significant advances have been made to develop noninvasive markers for liver fibrosis.