The Negative Effects Of Hepatitis

Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver caused by certain viruses and other factors, such as alcohol abuse, some medications, and trauma. Its various forms affect millions of Americans. Although many cases of hepatitis are not a serious threat to health, the disease can become chronic (long-lasting) and can sometimes lead to liver failure and death.

Hepatitis A is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis A virus.

Hepatitis A can affect anyone. In the United States, hepatitis A can occur in situations ranging from isolated cases of disease to widespread epidemics.

Persons with hepatitis A virus infection may not have any signs or symptoms of the disease. Older persons are more likely to have symptoms than children. If symptoms are present, they usually occur abruptly and may include fever, tiredness, loss of appetite, nausea, abdominal discomfort, dark urine, and jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes). Symptoms usually last less than 2 months; a few persons are ill for as long as 6 months. The average incubation period for hepatitis A is 28 days

Good personal hygiene and proper sanitation can help prevent hepatitis A. Vaccines are also available for long-term prevention of hepatitis A virus infection in persons 2 years of age and older. Immune globulin is available for short-term prevention of hepatitis A virus infection in all ages.

Hepatitis B is a serious disease caused by a virus that attacks the liver. The virus, which is called hepatitis B virus (HBV), can cause lifelong infection, cirrhosis (scarring) of the liver, liver cancer, liver failure, and death.

Hepatitis B can affect anyone. Each year in the United States, more than 200,000 people of all ages get hepatitis B and close to 5,000 die of sickness caused by HBV. If you have had other forms of hepatitis, you can still get hepatitis B.

You get hepatitis B by direct contact with the blood or body fluids of an infected person; for example, you can become infected by having sex or sharing needles with an infected person. A baby can get hepatitis B from an infected mother during childbirth. Hepatitis B is not spread through food or water or by casual contact.

There is no cure for hepatitis B; this is why prevention is so important. Hepatitis B vaccine is the best protection against HBV. Three doses are needed for complete protection.

Scientists isolated and sequenced the hepatitis C virus (HCV) genome 10 years ago. This led to the development of diagnostic tests to identify people infected with HCV. Almost 4 million people in the United States or 1.8 percent are persistently infected, and the Institute of Medicine now includes hepatitis C virus in its list of emerging infectious diseases. Those with the greatest risk of infection are individuals who ever experimented with injection drugs, even once or twice in the distant past, had multiple sexual partners, or received blood or blood products.

The hepatitis C virus is one of the most important causes of chronic liver disease in the United States. It accounts for about 20 percent of acute viral hepatitis, 60 to 70 percent of chronic hepatitis, and 30 percent of cirrhosis, end-stage liver disease, and liver cancer. Almost 4 million Americans, or 1.8 percent of the U.S. population, have antibody to HCV (anti-HCV), indicating ongoing or previous infection with the virus. Hepatitis C causes an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 deaths annually in the United States.

A distinct and major characteristic of hepatitis C is its tendency to cause chronic liver disease. At least 75 percent of patients with acute hepatitis C ultimately develop chronic infection, and most of these patients have accompanying chronic liver disease.

Antiviral drugs such as interferon used alone or in combination with ribavirin, are approved for the treatment of persons with chronic hepatitis C. Interferon works in 10 to 20 persons out of 100 treated. Interferon combined with ribavirin works (on the viral strain that is mostly found in the U.S.) in about 30-40 persons out of 100. Ribavirin, when used alone, does not work.

The importance of the human liver in regulating how the body absorbs and uses nutrients is emphasized by its central position in the body. It lies between the gastrointestinal tract, where the nutrients are absorbed, and the major blood vessels that distribute these nutrients to the body's vital organs, such as the brain, kidneys, heart and lungs. Indeed, the hepatocyte, or primary liver cell, is involved in the many ways energy is provided to other cells and how proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals are processed for use by the body.

In addition to overall malnutrition, people with liver disease may lack specific nutrients. Liver disease that limits the flow of bile frequently results in the inability to absorb vitamins A, D, E and K. Vitamin A deficiency, for example, may be diagnosed by certain eye problems. Unfortunately, the diagnosis of vitamin A deficiency in children with liver disease is not always straightforward. Low levels of vitamin A can be due to many factors, including liver disease. Complicating vitamin A deficiency is a reduction of the child's ability to fight off infection.

At present, the only means of preventing new cases of hepatitis C are to screen the blood supply, encourage health professionals to take precautions when handling blood and body fluids, and inform people about high-risk behaviors. Programs to promote needle exchange offer some hope of decreasing the spread of hepatitis C among injection drug users. Vaccines and immunoglobulin products do not exist for hepatitis C, and development seems unlikely in the near future because these products would require antibodies to all the genotypes and variants of hepatitis C. Nevertheless, advances in immunology and innovative approaches to immunization make it likely that some form of vaccine for hepatitis C will eventually be developed.

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