Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver, anorgan that helps digest food and remove toxins from the body. This condition is most commonly caused by viral infection, and many cases clear up within a few months. However, according to the National Institutes of Health, chronic hepatitis —  cases that last six months or longer — affects approximately 4.4 million Americans.

Chronic hepatitis can cause progressive liver damage. Many people with the condition don’t know they have it, since the symptoms are subtler than they are in acute cases.

May is National Hepatitis Awareness Month. Johns Hopkins Medicine experts who specialize in hepatitis are available to speak with reporters about symptoms of chronic hepatitis their readers should look out for. Please reach out to our designated media contacts if you are interested in covering this issue.

Hepatitis Experts

Andrea Cox, M.D., PH.D.

• Clinical Investigator, Viral Hepatitis Center, Johns Hopkins Medicine
• Professor of Medicine and Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Stuart Ray, M.D.

• Clinical Investigator, Viral Hepatitis Center, Johns Hopkins Medicine
• Professor of Medicine and Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Mark Sulkowski, M.D.

• Medical Director, Viral Hepatitis Center, Johns Hopkins Medicine
• Chief, Division of Infectious Diseases, Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center
• Professor of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Chloe Thio, M.D.

• Clinical Investigator, Viral Hepatitis Center, Johns Hopkins Medicine
• Professor of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine