Acute liver failure is probably one of the most devastating consequences of viral hepatitis. It's when the liver starts shutting down faster than it can repair itself. This is a medical emergency that leads to a series of complications that quickly affect other parts of the body beyond the liver. Fortunately, this condition is extremely rare, but it seems to occur most frequently with hepatitis B and, to a lesser degree, hepatitis A.

Once liver failure kicks in, there's not much doctors can do except try to slow its progression and prepare the patient for a liver transplantation, if he or she is a candidate for such a procedure. Unfortunately, this isn't always possible because of organ shortages or existing health conditions. Clearly the best solution is to prevent viral hepatitis.

Acute liver failure is just one complication of many that develop from hepatitis. Read about nine others.