Hepatology is the branch ofmedicine that incorporates the study ofliver,gallbladder,biliary tree, andpancreas as well as management of their disorders. Although traditionally considered a sub-specialty ofgastroenterology, rapid expansion has led in some countries to doctors specializing solely on this area, who are calledhepatologists.
Diseases and complications related toviral hepatitis and alcohol are the main reason for seeking specialist advice. More than two billion people have been infected withhepatitis B virus at some point in their life, and approximately 350 million have become persistent carriers.[1] Up to 80% ofliver cancers can be attributed to either hepatitis B orhepatitis C virus. In terms ofmortality, the former is second only to smoking among known agents causingcancer. With more widespread implementation ofvaccination and strictscreening beforeblood transfusion, lowerinfection rates are expected in the future.[citation needed] In many countries, however, overall alcohol consumption is increasing, and consequently the number of people withcirrhosis and other related complications is commensurately increasing.[citation needed]
As for many medical specialties, patients are most likely to be referred by family physicians (i.e., GP) or by physicians from different disciplines. The reasons might be:
Dr. B Blumberg, awarded Nobel prize 1976 for discovery of hepatitis B virus
Evidence from autopsies on Egyptianmummies suggests that liver damage from theparasitic infectionbilharziasis was widespread in the ancient society.[2] It is possible that theGreeks may have been aware of the liver's ability to exponentially duplicate as illustrated by the story ofPrometheus. However, knowledge about liver disease inantiquity is questionable. Most of the important advances in the field have been made in the last 50 years.[when?]
The first human liver transplant was performed in 1963 by Dr.Thomas E. Starzl on a three-year-old male afflicted withbiliary atresia after perfecting the technique on canine livers.[9][10]
In 1989, investigators from the CDC (Daniel W. Bradley) and Chiron (Michael Houghton) identified the hepatitis C virus, which had previously been known as non-A, non-B hepatitis and could not be detected in the blood supply.[12]
Only in 1992 was a blood test created that could detect hepatitis C in donated blood.[12]
The wordhepatology is fromAncient Greek ἧπαρ (hepar) or ἡπατο- (hepato-), meaning "liver", and -λογία (-logia), meaning "study".
^Rosalie David A, Contis G (1996). "Paleopathology on schistosomiasis in Egyptian mummies".Parasitol. Today (Regul. Ed.).12 (4): 167.doi:10.1016/0169-4758(96)80811-8.PMID15275234.
^abH. S.J. Lee, ed. (1999).Dates in Gastroenterology: A Chronological Record of Progress in Gastroenterology over the Last Millennium (Landmarks in Medicine). Informa Healthcare.ISBN1-85070-502-X.
