The infection rarely resolves spontaneously in patients with chronic infection.
Chronic infection causes liver inflammation and fibrosis, and a significant number of these patients will develop cirrhosis and liver failure or liver cancer over a period of approximately 20 to 50 years.
Infection may present as an acute illness (e.g., fatigue, arthralgia, jaundice) in approximately one third of patients; however, the majority of patients are asymptomatic.
It is an infectious, hepatotropic virus belonging to the Flavivirus family.
