Hepatitis - Symptoms, Treatment & Prevention

Your liver helps your body digest food, store energy and remove poisons. Hepatitis is a swelling of the liver that makes it stop working well. It can lead to scarring, called cirrhosis, or to cancer.

Viruses cause most cases of hepatitis. The type of hepatitis is named for the virus that causes it; for example:

• Hepatitis A (HAV) is a viral disease primarily spread through food or water contaminated by stool from an infected person.
• Hepatitis B (HBV) is a viral disease spread by contact with an infected person's blood, semen or other body fluid. An infected woman can give Hepatitis B to her baby at birth.
• Hepatitis C (HCV) is a viral disease spread by contact with an infected person's blood. Hepatitis C can also be passed from mother to child during childbirth.

Drug or alcohol use can also lead to hepatitis. In other cases, your body mistakenly attacks its own tissues. You can help prevent some viral forms by getting a vaccine. Hepatitis may go away by itself, but if it does not, it can be treated with drugs. Vaccinations are available for Hepatitis A and B, but not C. Sometimes Hepatitis can be a lifelong illness.

Hepatitis Causes

Hepatitis is caused by the type of virus the body comes into contact with.

Hepatitis A is transmitted:

• When someone with the virus doesn't wash their hands before handling food others may consume. This can infect several people who have eaten at the same restaurant all at once.
• When a worker in a day care center doesn't wash their hands after changing a diaper. This can also happen in hospitals if an infected person handles waste and then doesn't wash their hands.
• By drinking contaminated water.
• By eating raw shellfish from water polluted with sewage.
• By being in close contact with a person who's infected.
• By having sex with someone who has the virus.

Sometimes, though rarely, Hepatitis A can be spread through a blood transfusion.

Hepatitis B is transmitted through blood, saliva, semen or other bodily fluids. It can be passed from mother to child, during unprotected sex and by sharing needles. Health workers may also accidently be poked with a needle if they are administering care to someone.

There are two types of Hepatitis B. Acute Hepatitis B lasts less than six months because the body is able to fight the virus. If the body can't repair itself, Chronic Hepatitis B sets in and can cause serious illnesses like liver cirrhosis and cancer. Chronic Hepatitis B can be a lifelong illness.
 
Hepatitis C is transmitted through infected blood. If you had a blood transfusion or organ transplant prior to 1992 (before Hepatitis C was screened), you might be at risk. Hepatitis C is also spread by sharing needles, during childbirth and by engaging in sexual contact with an infected person.

Hepatitis Symptoms

Many symptoms of Hepatitis can be mild and mirror those of the flu and can include:

• Loss of appetite
• Fatigue
• Low fevers
• Nausea and vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Dark-colored urine and pale bowel movements
• Stomach pain
• Jaundice, yellowing of skin and eyes
• Tenderness in the liver
• Muscle and joint pains
• Abdominal pain
• Dark liver

Hepatitis A signs don't normally show up for about a month and usually last less than two months. Hepatitis B symptoms don't show up for about two to three months; however, if you know you have been exposed, you can be given a vaccine within 24 hours that can stop it. Symptoms for Hepatitis C can take years to manifest themselves, and many people do not know they have it until there has already been substantial liver damage.

Hepatitis Diagnosis

Hepatitis is diagnosed through blood tests that look to see whether the liver is damaged or inflamed.

Hepatitis A may be determined by looking for enhanced levels of bilirubin in the blood, decreased levels of albumin or by measuring the time it takes for the blood to clot. Liver damage or inflammation may also be measured by measuring amounts of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and actic dehydrogenase (LDH) in the blood, all of which increase with the presence of Hepatitis A. If these tests prove liver damage, an antibody (anti-HAV) test will be administered.

To diagnose Hepatitis B, a doctor may look at risk factors including: individuals who have atypical liver enzyme tests, HIV-positive status, being an inmate, men who have sex with men, pregnant women, people who share needles, genetic predisposition to HBV, people who undergo kidney dialysis, living with a person who has HBV and being an immigrant from locations like Eastern Europe, Africa, Asia and the Pacific Islands, where HBV is common.

Blood tests used to diagnose Hepatitis B infection will look for antigens and antibodies to determine a previous HBV infection, prior immunization, acute or chronic hepatitis, the cause of liver inflammation and whether you are at risk to pass HBV onto others. A Hepatitis B viral DNA test can identify genetic material in HBV to see if it is replicating and contagious. A biopsy of the liver may also be taken to determine the extent of liver damage.

People at risk for Hepatitis C infection include hemophiliacs treated with clotting factors prior to 1987, intravenous drug users, babies born to mothers with HCV, health care workers exposed to blood, patients that require long-terms hemodialysis treatments, people who have had unprotected sex with infected partners and anyone who received organ transplants or blood transfusions prior to 1992.

As with the other forms of Hepatitis, blood tests can determine the presence of HCV in the body, determine its viral load and estimate the genetic makeup of the virus. If blood tests return positive for HCV, a liver biopsy may be ordered to analyze liver scarring or other damage. A doctor may also order an MRI, ultrasound or CT scan to check to see if  HCV has caused liver cancer.

Hepatitis Treatment

There is no treatment for Hepatitis A. In most cases the body will heal on its own within a few months. However, if HAV is present, you can help your body rejuvenate by resting or sleeping more often than normal, eating small snacks comprised of softer, more easily digested foods like soups and yogurts as opposed to three big meals a day and avoiding the consumption of alcohol. Your doctor may advise against taking over the counter medications like aspirin as well.

If you know you have been exposed to Hepatitis B, you can get an injection of hepatitis B immune globulin within 24 hours to halt its development. Acute Hepatitis B infection will go away on its own without treatment. Follow-up blood tests will make sure HBV has left the body. Chronic Hepatitis B infection can be treated with antiviral drugs that fight the virus and lessen its ability to damage the liver. In severe cases, a liver transplant may be necessary.

There is no vaccine to treat Hepatitis C, but some individuals may not need treatment if the risk of liver damage is low. A doctor may treat HCV with a series of antiviral medications designed to clear the body of the virus. A blood test will determine if HCV is still present, and if it is, a second round of medication might be prescribed. If there has been extensive damage, you may need to have a liver transplant; however, a transplant is not a cure for HCV since infection is likely to return. Since HAV and HBV can complicate HCV, a doctor may order vaccinations against them.

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