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What is viral hepatitis?
Viral hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver caused by an infection with a virus.
How is viral hepatitis diagnosed?
Blood tests are used to diagnose viral hepatitis. In their early stages, viruses that cause hepatitis are hard to tell apart. But within weeks after infection, blood tests can show which virus is the cause of hepatitis. (An exception is hepatitis E, for which a blood test is not widely available.)
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