Hepatits: Information, Symptoms and Treatment

Hepatitis means liver inflammation. Viral hepatitis means that a person has liver inflammation due to a virus. Viral infection of the liver makes the liver swell up and stop working well. The liver is an important organ. It helps your body with these functions:

- Digests food
- Stores energy
- Removes poisons

Hepatitis C is a disease of the liver that is caused by the hepatitis C virus, or HCV.Between 15 to 40 percent of people who get hepatitis C are able to fight off the virus during the early, or acute, stage, usually within six months. Between 60 and 85 percent of patients cannot get rid of the virus and develop a long-term, or chronic, hepatitis C infection. People with chronic hepatitis C will have the disease all their lives unless they are successfully treated with antiviral medicines.

The symptoms of acute hepatitis B infection develop within 1-6 months of when you first become infected with the virus, and include feeling sick, vomiting, abdominal pain, fever and feeling generally unwell. Some people develop jaundice (Peelia). This is due to build-up of bilirubin, which is made in the liver and spills into the blood in some liver conditions. Your urine also becomes dark yellow, your stools may go pale, and you tend to itch.

The hepatitis B virus can be passed to an infant during childbirth or shortly thereafter if the mother is infected.

The risk of becoming chronically infected depends on your age at the time of infection. Most newborns and about 50% of children infected with hepatitis B develop chronic hepatitis. Only a few adults infected with HBV develop the chronic condition.Most of the damage from the hepatitis B virus is due to the body's response to the infection. When the body's immune system detects the infection, it sends out special cells to fight it off. However, these disease-fighting cells can lead to liver inflammation.

Hepatitis D can only be acquired if the person has an active infection of hepatitis B. The virus cannot reproduce without the presence of the virus causing hepatitis B. If you have chronic hepatitis B and your symptoms suddenly worsen, your doctor should check for hepatitis D. The virus is spread through contact with infected blood and contaminated needles. You can also get the disease through sexual contact with someone who is infected.

The good news is that there is a safe and effective vaccine against the virus. In New Zealand this is on the immunisation schedule for infants and children up to sixteen years, free of charge through general practitioners. The course of vaccine for an infant consists of three doses scheduled for six weeks, three months and five months of age. Mothers who are carriers are identified by a blood test in pregnancy and their babies are offered protection by an injection of immune globulin at birth followed by a course of vaccine.

Immunisation at any age (from babies to old age) is very effective at protecting people against infection. If it is known (by a blood test) that a pregnant woman is a chronic carrier of hepatitis B, a baby can be immunised (given a vaccine) at birth to protect it from hepatitis B infection. The vaccine does not contain live virus, but uses a protein (called surface antigen) from the virus, so you cannot catch hepatitis from the vaccine.

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Hepatitis C - Symptoms and Causes of Hepatitis C

The hepatitis C virus is usually detectable in the blood within one to three weeks after infection, and antibodies to the virus are generally detectable within 3 to 12 weeks. Approximately 15-40 per cent of persons infected with HCV clear the virus from their bodies during the acute phase as shown by normalization in liver function tests (LFTs) such as alanine transaminase (ALT) and aspartate transaminase (AST) normalization, as well as plasma HCV-RNA clearance (this is known as spontaneous viral clearance).

Hepatitis C - Information on Hepatitis C

The hepatitis C virus (HCV) is spread by blood-to-blood contact. No vaccine against hepatitis C is available. The symptoms of infection can be medically managed, and a proportion of patients can be cleared of the virus by a long course of anti-viral medicines. Although early medical intervention is helpful, people with HCV infection often experience mild symptoms, and consequently do not seek treatment. An estimated 150-200 million people worldwide are infected with hepatitis C.

Hepatitis A - The Common Jaundice

Most of us are aware of and have probably been vaccinated against hepatitis B. Given the fact that so many of us are protected from hepatitis B, have you ever wondered why we still have so many cases of jaundice especially in the months of summers and monsoons?

Hepatitis C Symptoms - What are the Signs and Symptoms of Hepatitis C?

Hepatitis C is a viral infection that causes inflammation of the liver. If left untreated, it could cause cirrhosis of the liver.

Hepatitis B - A Deadly Killer

Hepatitis B is a caused by a virus named hepatitis B virus. This virus is similar to hepatitis C as it attacks the liver which in turn becomes a lifelong struggle. This is a very dangerous virus as it causes liver infection, cirrhosis (scarring) of the liver, liver cancer, liver failure and also death. There is no reason to fret as Hepatitis B vaccine is available for all age groups. It is one of the most powerful and a deadly virus to ranks among the top ten killers.

Hepatitis C, Reason For Liver Inflammation

Hepatitis C is an infection with the hepatitis C virus. It causes liver to swell which affects its functioning. Hepatitis C spreads by using infected, dirty needles or through blood transfusion. The virus remains dormant in the liver to cause chronic inflammation. Once infected with hepatitis C virus many may not show any sign of infection. Sometimes people get infected with hepatitis C and would not even know for years.

Hepatitis - Be Sure To Wash Your Hands

Hepatitis is an infectious disease. You may never know who's carrying the disease, until after you've been in contact with them. Be careful where you touch.