Final answer:
Chronic active hepatitis leads to progressive liver damage and scarring, known as cirrhosis, which impairs liver function. Symptoms may include malaise, nausea, and abdominal pain, escalating to liver failure. The condition is often exacerbated by viral infections, alcohol abuse, or toxic substances.
Step-by-step explanation:
In chronic active hepatitis, the liver undergoes progressive damage and scarring, leading to cirrhosis. Cirrhosis involves the replacement of healthy liver tissue with non-functional scar tissue. This replacement process hampers the liver’s ability to perform critical functions such as detoxification of the blood, fighting infections, and processing nutrients, hormones, and drugs.
As the disease progresses, symptoms such as malaise, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain can become more prominent. Liver failure can also manifest, characterised by jaundice, ascites, and hepatic encephalopathy. Persistent inflammation from conditions like hepatitis B or C infections, alcohol abuse, or exposure to hepatotoxic chemicals can all contribute to this inflammation and subsequent liver damage.
The direct result of the ongoing inflammation and liver cell death is the release of more hepatitis virus, if the cause is viral, which perpetuates the cycle of damage. Over time, without intervention, chronic active hepatitis can lead to end-stage liver disease, necessitating a liver transplant for survival.