Viral Hepatitis
Introduction: Viral hepatitis, HAV, HBV, HCV.
What is viral hepatitis
Viral hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver, caused by hepatitis viruses, such as HAV, HBV, HCV, HEV, etc. These viruses have no relationship to each other, But they have a common hobby, is like to live in the liver. So people name them as hepatitis virus with the ordinal number A, B, C, D, E, according to the order of discovery.
Among these liver diseases, the viral hepatitis is an important member, which infects several billions of people, in which, more than 500 million people suffer from chronic hepatitis. The chronic form means the disease process is long-term, viruses are refractory, and the hepatitis can not be easily cured.
Chronic hepatitis symptoms
You may have no symptoms for ten or twenty years. Or, you get unwell in the active phase of hepatitis, such as right upper quadrant discomfort, fullness, tired of greasy food, indigestion, poor appetite or easy to get cold. This is usually a recurrent process. With the history prolonged, chronic hepatitis will cause your liver and spleen enlarged. You may have liver dull pain on your right side of upper abdomen, flank and back.
Is viral hepatitis contagious?
A contagious disease means the infection has a strong ability of transmission. Its viruses or bacteria can be easily transmitted to you by body contact with patients, or by their secretions (feces, urine, saliva, droplets) or objects touched by them.
The non-contagious disease means it is above all an infectious disease, and the transmission ability is not strong, such as pulmonary tuberculosis and viral hepatitis.
- HAV, fecal-oral transmission, transmitted person-to-person by contaminated water and food.
- HBV, HCV, transmitted by transfusion, needle-sharing, less by sexual contact; not be transmitted by kissing, eating together. In general, they do not infect adults in daily life. You may be exposed to these viruses, but they are not enough to cause hepatitis. Your body's resistance and defense will kill them. In this process, instead, viruses may activate your antibodies to protect you. If you are healthy, we still recommend you accept an injection of hepatitis B vaccine. This prevents you from being accidentally transmitted.
Most patients with chronic hepatitis are carriers with no symptoms, or just right upper quadrant discomfort, or enlarged liver, liver dull pain. They can live a normal life; they can marry and have healthy children; they can still live long or a full life.
Treatment:
Although some carriers may develop cirrhosis or liver cancer after many years, you should not worry too much. How should you do? There are some suggestions for you:
- Combination of exercise and rest, must not tired.
- Go to sleep on time and ensure adequate sleep;
- Having a healthy, balanced diet in small proportions;
- Must not drink alcohol;
- Periodic medical examinations for liver function, amount of viruses and their DNA; abdominal ultrasound examination for liver and gallbladder. Show these test results to your doctor for help.
- Or, if you have significant liver disease symptoms, you should go to see your doctor for treatment, such as anti-viral treatment, liver protective treatment.
See also
- Hepatitis Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver, in which liver cell damage or cell death occur. Most cases of hepatitis are caused most frequently by virus, but also by alcohol, certain drugs, chemical substances, or poisoning.
- Alcoholic liver disease Chronic and excessive alcohol consumption is a major reason for alcoholic liver disease, which includes alcoholic fatty liver disease, alcoholic hepatitis, and liver cirrhosis.
- Cirrhosis of the liver Cirrhosis is an advanced condition of liver diseases characterized by fibrosis, scar tissue and regenerative multinodular lumps, which are formed by replacement of the normal liver architecture and cells.
- Liver cancer
Liver cancer is a malignant tumor of the liver, that is less common and usually arises in the liver with a history of alcoholic cirrhosis.
Written by enlargedLiver.net
Created: 2011-11-01
Last update: 2012-10-11