Introduction

Hepatitis is the inflammation of your liver caused by a virus infection. It is a Greek term for liver inflammation. Drugs, alcohol and toxins can also lead to hepatitis.

Hepatitis types are named after the virus that causes it, such as viral hepatitis A (HAV), hepatitis B (HBV) and hepatitis C (HCV).

These are the three main type of hepatitis which commonly affects people irrespective of age or gender.

Viral hepatitis infections including the A and B type can be prevented through hepatitis vaccination.

Further, hepatitis infection has two phases: Acute hepatitis and chronic hepatitis. Acute hepatitis affects for less than six months while chronic hepatitis lasts for more than six months.

In absence of hepatitis treatment, you can suffer damage to your liver cells along with inflammation of liver cell tissues. Jaundice is often seen in cases with B type of hepatitis infections.

The liver is an important organ in your body. It does the work of aiding digestion, removing toxins, producing substances that fight infection as well as control bleeding and storing energy for future use besides performing many other useful functions.

Moreover, your liver is well adapted to heal itself. Nonetheless, this self-healing ability can be hampered by long term inflammation caused due to hepatitis infection. This can possibly lead to severe liver hepatitis and permanent liver damage.

Hepatitis preventions include vaccinations which can be useful if you are traveling to an area or country known to be susceptible to the disease.

It is a good practice to take hepatitis vaccination if you are at risk.

Hepatitis Causes

The various causes of hepatitis can be better understood through its acute and chronic phases.

Here are some common acute hepatitis causes:

• Bacterial infections which are severe
• Toxins including alcohol and fungal toxins
• Viral hepatitis including hepatitis A, hepatitis B and hepatitis C
• Viral diseases other than those stated above
• Amoeba Infections
• Harmful medicinal side effects

Some of the chronic hepatitis causes can include:

• Viral hepatitis including hepatitis A and hepatitis B
• Adverse reaction to medicines
• Autoimmune hepatitis, where the patient’s own immune system destroys liver cells
• Toxins, mainly alcohol
• Other inborn disorders including Wilson’s disease

Hepatitis Symptom

The symptoms you experience in acute hepatitis can differ from those appearing in other patients.

It is not out of the ordinary for some patients not experiencing any hepatitis symptom.  Children may display very mild symptoms.

In the early stages of hepatitis you may experience a slight temperature with tiredness and uneasiness.

You may also experience nausea, loss of appetite and a change in the taste of food. Additionally, you can have hepatitis symptom in the form of muscle aches, headache and pain in your joints.

In case you have developed jaundice, you will have a yellow shade in place of the white areas of your eyes. Your skin and moist membranes will also turn yellow in color. Hepatitis causes jaundice when it has reached an advanced stage.

Moreover, you will experience light colored stools and urine that is noticeably dark in color.

But once you start hepatitis treatment and the symptoms subside, you will experience tiredness that may last for weeks.

Chronic hepatitis symptom can include fatigue, muscle and joint pain with a general feeling of sleepiness.

There may be cases where patients do not experience any recognizable symptoms.

Here, the patient may at the most have light pain from time to time below the right ribs which signal an enlargement of the liver.

Hepatitis Treatment

Often, the majority of hepatitis A cases resolve by themselves. As such, there are no specific hepatitis preventions or treatments for hepatitis A.

Your doctor can advise you to avoid alcohol and drugs during recovery.

Hepatitis B is treated by taking appropriate rest. In addition, you have to maintain a diet high in protein and carbohydrates. This helps repair damaged liver cells and protect your liver.

If hepatitis B does not respond properly to this treatment, your doctor may prescribe antiviral medications to control and treat the infection.

Non-viral type of hepatitis treatment involves removing harmful substances from your stomach through hyperventilation (rapid, deep breathing) or through induced vomiting.

Hepatitis Preventions

As the saying goes, prevention is better than cure you should take appropriate preventive steps to keep away from possible hepatitis infection including hepatitis vaccination.

These are some good hepatitis preventions and measures that keep away infection to a fair extent.

• Wash hands thoroughly before eating and after using washroom
• Eat freshly cooked food
• Get hepatitis vaccination before traveling to susceptible countries or areas
• Safe sex habits
• Stop or limit alcohol intake
• Do not share toothbrushes, razors, needles or other items that can be contaminated
• Drink boiled water where appropriate