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Hepatitis: A brief insight

Liver is the largest internal organ of the human body which controls several vital functions including detoxification and storage and synthesis of several important enzymes and nutrients. So, any disease that hampers the functioning of liver, has to be tackled immediately. Hepatitis is a medical term which means inflammation of liver and if left untreated can prove detrimental to the body. Most Liver damages happen due to three types of hepatitis which are viral. They are hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C. Hepatitis D and Hepatitis E are less common forms of viral Hepatitis. Besides, Alcoholic Hepatitis, Non Fatty Liver, Auto Immune Hepatitis are not caused by viruses. Here is an overview.

Viral Hepatitis

Types of Viral Hepatitis are Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Hepatitis D and Hepatitis E.

1. Hepatitis A

  1. Hepatitis A is an infectious disease caused by the Hepatitis A virus. Here, inflammation of the liver is sometimes combined with irritation. Consumption of contaminated water and food is the main reason for the spread of this disease. It also spreads through direct and close contact with an infected person. Around ten million people are estimated to be infected by Hepatitis A every year worldwide.

  2. The main symptoms of hepatitis A are fever, dark colored urine, pale colored stool, tiredness, appetite loss, itching, vomiting and nausea, jaundice.

  3. Approximate incubation period of the Hepatitis A virus is 28 days. The symptoms of Hepatitis A appear after a couple of weeks from getting infected. Sometimes, it lasts for several months in the body.

  4. There is no specific treatment for Hepatitis A. Recovery period is immensely reduced if the patients avoid alcohol consumption during the treatment period.

  5. Clean and hygiene environment is important to prevent the spread of the disease. Hepatitis A immunization is also done.

Hepatitis B

Hepatitis B is a life threatening condition as people infected with Hepatitis B are very likely to develop liver cirrhosis or liver cancer.

  1. Hepatitis B could be of two types Acute Hepatitis B and Chronic Hepatitis B. In the condition of chronic infection, around 25 percent of people are likely to die because of liver cirrhosis or liver cancer after a few years of infection. Incubation period of Hepatitis B virus is 90 days. However, based on the age, health and severity, the period varies and ranges from a minimum of 30 days of infectious period to 180 days. Hepatitis B vaccine is found to be effective in curing the condition of more than 95 percent of infected people.

  2. The best way to prevent the spread of the disease is maintaining a clean and hygienic environment around the habitations.

  3. There is no specified treatment for Hepatitis B. Infected people are asked to maintain nutritional balance in the body to restore the loss of fluids. However, when the condition is found to be chronic, anti-viral drugs are prescribed.

Hepatitis C

Hepatitis C is a medical condition where liver inflammation is caused by the Hepatitis C virus.

  1. Due to the presence of this virus, the liver fails to perform its usual functions and cannot eliminate the virus and other toxic elements from the body. Hepatitis C virus is capable of damaging the liver to an extent that may lead to a chronic condition resulting in fatality.

  2. The worst thing about Hepatitis C is that in early stages, it does not show any symptom of infection. Infected people mostly lie in the age group of 40 to 60 years.

  3. Symptoms of this disease are; weakness, loss of appetite, sudden weight loss, rash on the palm, difficulty with blood clotting and spider like blood vessels on the skin.

Hepatitis D

It is a medical condition which affects people who have already suffered from Hepatitis B infection. Hepatitis D virus is very intense by nature, as it leads to liver failure and liver cirrhosis. In the end, patients develop Liver Cancer. The fatality rate of patients suffering from Hepatitis D is very high. The symptoms are more or less the same as that of Hepatitis B. There is no known treatment for Hepatitis D.

Hepatitis E

Hepatitis E spreads through contaminated drinking water. Symptoms are same as that of Hepatitis A. There is no known cure for Hepatitis E. Best way to avoid the spread of this disease is a clean and healthy environment.

Alcoholic Hepatitis

Alcoholic hepatitis is caused due to heavy consumption of alcohol. Alcohol contains ethanol, which gets deposited in your liver leading to the inflammation of the organ. The symptoms of alcoholic hepatitis are fever, vomiting, jaundice and hypertension. If the patient continues to take alcohol, it leads to lever cirrhosis. The effective treatment for alcoholic hepatitis is to reduce the consumption of alcohol or quit alcohol completely.

Auto immune Hepatitis

Sometimes our own immune system attacks our liver for reasons unknown, this can lead to cirrhosis of liver eventually leading to liver failure. Autoimmune hepatitis can be treated if diagnosed early and can be controlled with drugs that control the immune system.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

This medical condition happens when fat gets deposited into liver. There are a few kinds of fats which are resistant to insulin and they get deposited in the lever. Soft drinks could be a reason, but not the only reason. Symptoms are nausea, fatigue, abdominal pain and jaundice. It can be treated through gradual weight loss and regular exercise.

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