Hepatitis – Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

Hepatitis (plural hepatitides) implies injury to the liver characterized by the presence of inflammatory cells in the tissue of the organ. The name is from ancient Greek hepar (????) or hepato- (?????-), meaning liver, and suffix -itis, meaning "inflammation" (c. 1727)[1]. The condition can be self-limiting, healing on its own, or can progress to scarring of the liver. Hepatitis is acute when it lasts less than six months and chronic when it persists longer. A group of viruses known as the hepatitis viruses cause most cases of liver damage worldwide. Hepatitis can also be due to toxins (notably alcohol), other infections or from autoimmune process.

How does hepatitis affect the liver?

The liver breaks down waste products in your blood. When the liver is inflamed, it doesn't do a good job of getting rid of waste products. One waste product in the blood, called bilirubin (say "billy-roo-bin"), begins to build up in the blood and tissues when the liver isn't working right. The bilirubin makes the skin of a person with hepatitis turn a yellow-orange color. This is called jaundice (say "john-dis").

What Are the Signs and Symptoms?

Hepatitis infection causes inflammation of the liver, which means that the liver becomes swollen and damaged and begins losing its ability to function. People with hepatitis often get symptoms similar to those caused by other virus infections, such as weakness, tiredness, and nausea. Because the symptoms of hepatitis are similar to other conditions, it's easy for a person who has it to confuse it with another illness. In addition, people with hepatitis A may not show any symptoms of the infection, so the infection can go undiagnosed.

What causes it?

The hepatitis B virus (HBV) is transmitted from individual to individual through contact with infected bodily fluids, such as blood. Because chronic carriers of HBV are often unaware that they have the virus, they may transmit the disease to others unknowingly. Injecting illegal drugs with contaminated needles or unprotected sexual contact with an infected individual are common ways to become infected. S

Gender

Hepatocellular carcinoma is much more common in males than in females, although much of this is likely due to differences in behaviors affecting the risk factors described below. The fibrolamellar subtype of HCC occurs in about equal numbers in both sexes.

Autoimmune chronic hepatitis accounts for about 20% of all chronic hepatitis cases. Like other autoimmune disorders, this condition develops because a genetically defective immune system attacks the body's own cells and organs, in this case, the liver, after being triggered by an environmental agent, probably a virus. Suspects include the measles virus, a hepatitis virus, or the Epstein-Barr virus, which causes mononucleosis. It is also possible that a reaction to a drug or other toxin that affects the liver also triggers an autoimmune response in susceptible individuals.

Prevention:

The following hepatitis vaccines are available:

Hepatitis A vaccine is available for people in high-risk groups, like day care and nursing home workers, laboratory workers, and those traveling to parts of the world where hepatitis is common.

What's the treatment?

The majority of people with hepatitis B don't need specific treatment other than rest and they eventually make a full recovery.

If the infection lasts more than six months (chronic hepatitis infection), a hospital liver specialist may recommend an antiviral drug treatment called alpha interferon. This treatment aims to reduce the risk of permanent liver damage (cirrhosis) and liver cancer.

Medical Treatment

If you are dehydrated, your doctor may prescribe IV fluid to help you feel better.

If you are experiencing significant nausea and vomiting, you will receive medicines to control these symptoms.