Hepatitis
is a liver inflammation caused by viral infection or toxins like drugs or alcohol. Hepatitis A and B are
vaccine-preventable infections, but no vaccine exists for hepatitis C. Protect
yourself from hepatitis viral infections by avoiding sexual or blood contact
with someone who may be infected.
Hepatitis means inflammation of the liver, and it is
most often caused by viral infections. Some types of hepatitis will cause
discomfort but eventually go away, while others, like chronic hepatitis C, can
be deadly.
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Viral types of hepatitis — A, B,C, D, and E — are
contracted in various ways. Other non-viral causes of hepatitis relate to toxic
exposures and autoimmune disease.
Hepatitis C is the leading cause of liver cancer and
also the number one reason for liver transplants. “The liver is responsible for
filtering from the bloodstream harmful substances such as dead cells, toxins,
fats, hormones and a yellowish substance called bilirubin, a byproduct of the
breakdown of old red blood cells,” says Rashmi Gulati, MD, medical director of
Patients Medical in New York City.
“If the liver is inflamed, tender, and enlarged, it
becomes unable to function normally. As a result, toxins that would normally be
filtered out by the liver build up in the body, and certain nutrients are not
processed and stored as they should be.”
Types of Hepatitis
Of the viral causes of hepatitis, hepatitis A, B, and C
are the most common. There are also two other forms known as hepatitis D and
hepatitis E.
Hepatitis C is the most serious of the more common viral
types, says Dr Gulati. “About 85 per cent of hepatitis C infections lead to
chronic liver disease,” Gulati says. “The virus causes slowly progressing, but
ultimately devastating damage to the liver.”
Both hepatitis A and B also can be dangerous. “Hepatitis
A virus can cause acute liver disease, but can heal within a few months. It can
cause high spiking fevers and is more severe in adults than in children,” says
Gulati.
“Hepatitis B virus has an 85 per cent recovery rate,
while 15 per cent develop cirrhosis or cancer of the liver.”
Of the rarer viral types, hepatitis D sometimes appears
in conjunction with hepatitis B, making for a deadly combination. Hepatitis E
appears to put pregnant women at the greatest risk.
Toxic hepatitis is not caused by a virus, but occurs as
a result of exposure to toxins like drugs and alcohol. And autoimmune hepatitis
happens when the body’s immune system goes awry and attacks its own liver
without the presence of a virus.
How Hepatitis Is Transmitted
Hepatitis
A is usually spread from person to person or by ingesting food or water that is
contaminated with the virus. In some cases, raw shellfish from polluted waters
can also spread the disease.
Hepatitis
B and C are usually spread through infected blood or other bodily fluids.
Doctors,
dentists, and nurses, as well as staff and patients at blood banks, dialysis
clinics, and pathology laboratories, are at a greater risk of developing these
kinds of hepatitis due to accidental blood exposure.
Drug
users who share needles are at high risk of contracting hepatitis B and C, as
are those who have unprotected sex with an infected person.
Signs and Symptoms of Hepatitis
If
you contract hepatitis, it may present in a way that is similar to a nasty bout
of a flu. Common symptoms of hepatitis include fever, weakness, nausea,
vomiting, headache, appetite loss, muscle aches, joint pains and drowsiness.
Other warning signs to look out for include dark urine, light, clay-coloured
stools, abdominal discomfort, and jaundice, the yellowing of the whites of the
eyes or the skin due to an accumulation of bilirubin.
If
you have hepatitis, a simple blood test will show elevated liver enzymes.
Additional blood tests can help identify which virus, if any, is to blame.
What To Do About Hepatitis
If
you have hepatitis A or B, in most cases you’ll get better with a doctor’s care
and supportive treatment without specific anti-viral treatments.
Hepatitis
C and other chronic forms will probably affect your life more profoundly, but
you can do a lot to manage the condition and keep it under control.
If
someone in your home has hepatitis, it is also important to take appropriate
precautions to avoid spreading the disease.
For
hepatitis A, handwashing is extremely important. For hepatitis B and C, care
should be taken to avoid contact with the blood of the infected individual,
even the microscopic amounts that hide in toothbrushes and on razors, so never
share these items.
New
antiviral medications can cure hepatitis C infections for over 90 per cent of
patients. Treatment can suppress or even eradicate hepatitis C.
Preventing Hepatitis
Vaccinations
are available for hepatitis A and B for at-risk individuals, such as health
care workers.
“For
hepatitis A, vaccination for those patients with risk of exposure or known
exposure can prevent transmission of the disease,” says Kimberly Brown, MD,
chief of the division of gastroenterology and hepatology at Henry Ford Hospital
in Detroit.
“Patients
who live with someone with hepatitis B, have a sexual partner with hepatitis B,
are born to a mother with hepatitis B, or are health care workers should be
vaccinated (against hepatitis B). Since there is no vaccination for hepatitis
C, patients need to be aware that avoiding blood-to-blood contact with infected
individuals is critical.”
The
best approach is to take all precautions to avoid hepatitis. This includes
avoiding sexual or blood contact with someone who may be infected and
discussing your concerns with your doctor if you feel that you may be at risk.
Courtesy
everydayhealth.com
