What do you know about Hepatitis?

Hepatitis refers to an inflammatory condition of the liver. It’s commonly caused by a viral infection, but there are other possible causes of hepatitis. These include autoimmune hepatitis and hepatitis that occurs as a secondary result of medications, drugs, toxins, and alcohol.

Sometimes there are no symptoms of hepatitis in the first weeks after infection. But when they happen, the symptoms of types A, B, and C may include fatigue, nausea, poor appetite, belly pain, a mild fever, or yellow skin or eyes (jaundice). When hepatitis B and C become chronic, they may cause no symptoms for years. By the time there are any warning signs, the liver may already be damaged.

There are several viruses that cause hepatitis. The common ones are hepatitis A, B and C but we can find the type D and E which are less common.

• Hepatitis A caused by an infection with the hepatitis A virus or HAV. This type of hepatitis is most commonly transmitted by consuming food or water contaminated by faeces from a person infected with hepatitis A.
• Hepatitis B transmitted through contact with infectious body fluids, such as blood, vaginal secretions, or semen, containing the hepatitis B virus or HBV. Injection drug use, having sex with an infected partner, or sharing razors with an infected person increase your risk of getting hepatitis B.
  
• Hepatitis C about 25% of people who get hepatitis C defeat the virus after a short-term infection. The rest will carry the virus in their body for the long term. Chronic hepatitis C can cause very serious complications, including liver failure and liver cancer. It spreads through infected blood. Sharing needles or other items used to inject drugs is the most common cause of infection. Getting a tattoo or body piercing with an infected needle is another means of exposure. A mother may pass the virus to her child at birth. In rare cases, unprotected sex spreads hepatitis C, but the risk appears small. Because there are often no symptoms, many former drug users may not realize they have the infection.
• Hepatitis D called delta hepatitis, hepatitis D is a serious liver disease caused by the hepatitis D virus or HDV. HDV is contracted through direct contact with infected blood. Hepatitis D is a rare form of hepatitis that only occurs in conjunction with hepatitis B infection. The hepatitis D virus can’t multiply without the presence of hepatitis B.
• Hepatitis E is a waterborne disease caused by the hepatitis E virus or HEV. Hepatitis E is mainly found in areas with poor sanitation and typically results from ingesting faecal matter that contaminates the water supply. This is only likely to happen in third world countries.