All you need to know about Hepatitis- The Gastrolife
What is Hepatitis?
Hepatitis is a liver disease that causes it to irritate and swell. The severity of the disease varies in each individual; most of the time, it does not show any symptoms for a long time. Many different viruses can cause hepatitis, although Hepatitis viruses A, B, and C are commonly seen.
Hepatitis A
Hepatitis A is caused by a virus that affects bowel movements and is communicable through body waste. Hepatitis A is often seen among kids, school children, and young adults, which is even riskier given the symptoms show mild effects on children than grownups. A newborn baby can also get Hepatitis A through the mother's placenta if the mother is infected.
Hepatitis B
Hepatitis B, also known as serum hepatitis, can transmit from body fluids, like blood. It can affect a person of any age and gender, even to a baby, before or after birth.
Hepatitis B can also be transmitted via semen, sexual intercourse with an infected partner may prove to be the reason for spreading it.
A hepatitis B contamination might also additionally turn out to be chronic, leading to cirrhosis, an intense level of liver disease. It might also even result in liver cancer. Children might also turn out to be long-time period hepatitis B carriers, they won`t have signs and symptoms but they will keep transmitting it and infecting other people their entire lives.
Hepatitis C
Just like Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C also transmits via blood and other body fluids. People who use needles for drugs, dialysis patients, or anyone having sexual contact with those people, are at high risk of getting Hepatitis C.
It develops over a period of 1-5 months and starts showing chronic liver diseases. Children are less affected than adults.
Symptoms
At first, someone with hepatitis may exhibit these symptoms:
• Fever
• Loss of appetite
• Fatigue
• Overall “bad feeling”
• Dark urine
• Yellow eyes
• Yellow-looking skin
• Stool light in color
In 1-5 weeks, these symptoms will diminish, but they may affect you for several more weeks or possibly months, if not treated properly.
Causes
Hepatitis A is caused by a virus, that’s present in the body waste of infected people and spreads if proper hygiene is not maintained. Hepatitis A can also sometimes spread to others through sexual contact.
Hepatitis B, or serum hepatitis, is passed from one person to another in blood or other body fluids. Sexual intercourse is one of the ways this disease can spread to others.
Hepatitis C infection is caused by the spread of a germ called the hepatitis C virus. The virus is spread when blood or body fluids from an infected person enter your bloodstream. These are the ways it can happen most often:
· Sharing needles to do drugs
· Receiving blood, blood products (such as plasma, red blood cells, or platelets), or organs from a donor with hepatitis C
· Sexual Intercourse
· Using infected needles for tattoos or piercings
· From mother to child
Diagnosis and Tests
Simple blood tests can determine Hepatitis. It will take 2-3 days for your doctor to determine.
Treatments
There is no specific treatment for hepatitis.
Usually, doctors recommend good rest, a good diet, proper vitamins, and medicines that control vomiting and bowel movement.
In severe cases, the patient should be admitted to a nearby hospital.
Prevention
• Keeping good personal hygiene is the best way to prevent Hepatitis.
• Keeping a habit of washing hands properly to disinfect hands while preparing food and doing daily chores.
• Use prevention while sexual intercourse. Check the doctor for STD tests at regular intervals.
• If you have a child, it can spread from numerous sources, like, other kids, school, playground, etc. Look out for symptoms and consult a doctor every 2-3 months.
• All babies should receive two doses of the hepatitis A (HAV) and one dose of hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccines starting at one year old. These doses are given six months apart. These will prevent hepatitis infection.
Know more about Hepatitis, and consult our doctors if you have one or more symptoms.
Read our previous blogs here.