Some understanding of viral hepatitis

Most cases of acute hepatitis are caused by viral infections and show the following signs and symptoms: Fatigue, discomfort, joint pain, abdominal pain, vomiting 2-3 times a day for the first 5 days, eating No taste, cloudy urine, fever, big liver and jaundice.

Some forms of chronic hepatitis show some of these signs and only show when prolonged inflammatory process leads to replacement of liver cells by connective tissue, eventually cirrhosis. Many tests of liver function can identify hepatitis.

Hepatitis A virus : also called infectious jaundice, is transmitted by mouth by a type of intestinal virus that spreads to people through contaminated food. The disease only causes an acute form and cannot be chronic. The patient's immune system creates antibodies to fight disease and is immune to infection later.

People with hepatitis B need to be rested, provided with enough water and avoid drinking alcohol. There is now a lifetime vaccine for hepatitis A virus infection. The disease can be spread through contact, through the use of fresh seafood or drinking contaminated water. Hepatitis A virus spreads widely in poor countries (called the third world).

Prevention of hepatitis A by practicing personal hygiene and eating cooked, boiled. 2 weeks after the first symptoms of hepatitis, the patient has the virus in the stool. The time from virus infection to illness can range from 15 to 45 days.

Hepatitis B virus :

Hepatitis B virus (Photo: bocklabs)

causes acute and chronic disease in some patients who are unable to remove the virus. Transmission by blood, practicing tattooing, sex or from mother to child. However, about 50% of cases do not identify the source of transmission.

Sharing needles, especially between drug addicts or sharing razors or contact with infected wounds, can increase the risk of spreading the disease. In the United States, 95% of patients are free of viral infections and develop anti-hepatitis B antibodies; and 5% of patients do not go away with the virus and become chronic, only these people have long-term complications of hepatitis B.

People with chronic hepatitis B develop antibodies against hepatitis B but these antibodies are not enough to clean up the virus infection already in the DNA of infected liver cells.

Viruses that proliferate in combination with antibodies may cause the disease to have a complex immune mechanism found in these patients. There is also a vaccine to prevent hepatitis B virus for life. This type of hepatitis causes nearly millions of deaths worldwide every year due to complications of chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis and liver cancer.

In some countries, mainly in Southeast Asia, hepatitis B is a frequent disease and cirrhosis, cancer is a major cause of death. There are 3 types of treatment drugs that FDA (US Food and Drug Administration) workers to treat chronic hepatitis B are alpha-interferon, adefovir and lamivudine. About 45% of treated people have had a long-term response.

Hepatitis C virus : initially called non-A viral hepatitis or B; This hepatitis can also be transmitted through contact with the skin

Hepatitis C virus
(Photo: buckminster.info)

Blood, through sexual intercourse, can lead to ejaculation and eventually cirrhosis.

The disease may not show symptoms for 10-20 years. There is currently no vaccine to protect against hepatitis C. The disease can become a serious hepatitis if infected with hepatitis A or B, so all patients with hepatitis C need to be vaccinated against hepatitis A and hepatitis. B if not immune.

However, hepatitis C itself is also caused by a very toxic virus and can cause cirrhosis. If it is possible to detect hepatitis C virus early, it can be treated with a combination of interferon and ribavirin (antiviral drug). The response to this combination of treatment varies according to the genotype of the virus.

Hepatitis D virus : This viral hepatitis (RNA passenger virus) cannot develop without the presence of a hepatitis B virus because some essential genes are missing in its genetic structure.

Hepatitis E : causes symptoms similar to hepatitis A although the disease may be severe in some patients, especially in pregnant women.

Hepatitis F : the existence of this form of hepatitis is questionable, unsure

Hepatitis G virus : this disease has been discovered.

In addition, many other viruses can cause infectious hepatitis such as mumps virus, Rubella virus, cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr virus, herpes virus, yellow fever.

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