Hepatitis is the Greek term for liver inflammation. It is characterised by the destruction of a number of liver cells and the presence of inflammatory cells in the liver tissue.
Hepatitis can be caused by viruses that primarily attack the liver cells, such as hepatitis A and B. Patients with glandular fever, caused by the Epstein-Barr virus, can also suffer from an attack of hepatitis.
The symptoms of acute hepatitis vary considerably from person to person. Some patients have no symptoms at all, and in most cases, children only show mild symptoms.
In the early stages: tiredness, general malaise, slight fever, nausea, poor appetite, changes in taste perception, pressure or pain below the right ribs caused by an enlarged liver, aching muscles and joints, headache, skin rash.
The jaundiced phase: yellowing of sclerae (the whites of the eyes), skin and mucous membranes, dark urine, light-coloured stools, around this time, the other symptoms subside.
The recovery phase: tiredness that can last for weeks.
The symptoms Chronic hepatitis : Many patients have no symptoms. Tiredness, an increased need for sleep, aching muscles and joints. Periodic light pressure or pain below the right ribs – enlarged liver. Jaundice is a very late symptom of chronic hepatitis. It is a sign that the disease has become serious.
Signs and symptoms of hepatitis A
The hepatitis A virus (HAV) is found in the faeces of someone infected with the virus. It only takes a tiny amount of faeces getting inside another person’s mouth to cause hepatitis A infection. Personal hygiene, such as careful hand washing, can minimise the risk of the virus being passed on. HAV is a common infection in many parts of the world where sanitation and sewage infrastructure is poor. Often people become infected with HAV by eating or drinking contaminated food or water.
Hepatitis A is also classed as a sexually transmitted disease (STD) because it can be passed on sexually, particularly during activities such as anilingus (rimming). The washing of genital and anal areas before sex, and the use of condoms or dental dams can help to prevent this risk.Hepatitis A can affect all age groups. Once a person is exposed to the virus it takes between 2 and 6 weeks to produce symptoms.
It is possible to experience mild or no symptoms whatsoever, but even if this is the case the person’s faeces will still be infectious to others. Many people who become infected with HAV will have symptoms that include:
A short, mild, flu-like illness; nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea; loss of appetite; weight loss; jaundice (yellow skin and whites of eyes, darker yellow urine and pale faeces); itchy skin; abdominal pain.
The infection usually clears in up to 2 months, but may occasionally recur or persist longer in some people. Once a person has been infected and their body has fought off the virus they are permanently immune.
What is hepatitis B?
Hepatitis B is a viral infection of the liver, which follows a very variable course. The hepatitis B virus (HBV) can cause an acute illness that resolves itself quickly without causing long-term liver damage. However, in about 20% of cases it causes a chronic illness that lasts more than six months, sometimes for life, with symptoms that come and go. In 15-40% of those with chronic infection cirrhosis, liver cancer or liver failure develop, and so the infection may eventually be fatal.
The incubation period of the hepatitis B virus before symptoms develop is between six weeks and six months.
In the acute phase symptoms vary. Roughly one-third of cases have no symptoms - this is called a silent or subclinical infection, or sometimes anicteric infection, meaning there is no jaundice or yellow appearance of the skin and membranes. In another third of cases, the infection causes mild symptoms similar to those of a flu-like illness, with weakness, aches, headache, fever, loss of appetite, diarrhoea, jaundice, nausea and vomiting.
In the final third of cases, the acute phase of infection can cause severe illness that last many months. In addition to the flu-like symptoms, there's abdominal pain, diarrhoea and jaundice.
Hepatitis C Symptoms
Although hepatitis C damages the liver, 80% of people with the disease do not have symptoms. In those who do,symptoms may not appear for10-20 years, or even longer. Even then, the symptoms usually come and go and are mild and vague. Unfortunately, by the time symptoms appear, the damage may be very serious.
A minority of people have symptoms during the early acute phase of the infection. These symptoms typically develop 5-12 weeks after exposure to HCV. Some people describe the symptoms as beingflulike. The symptoms may last a few weeks or months :
Nausea, Vomiting, Diarrhea, Loss of appetite, Fatigue, Pain over the liver (on the right side of the abdomen, just under the rib cage), Jaundice - A condition in which the skin and the whites of the eyes turn yellow, Dark-colored urine (may look like cola or tea), Stoolsbecome pale in color (grayish or clay colored)
If you have been vomiting repeatedly, you may notice the following symptoms:
Fatigue or weakness, Confusion or difficulty concentrating, Headache, Not urinating, Irritability.
Chronic hepatitis C can lead tocirrhosis of the liver in many people, a condition traditionally associated with alcoholism. Eventually, symptoms develop. Symptoms of cirrhosisinclude the following:
Fluid retention causing swelling of the belly (ascites), legs, or whole body, Persistent jaundice, Fatigue, Disturbances in sleeping, Itchy skin, Loss of appetite, weight loss, wasting, Vomiting with blood in the vomit, Mental disturbances such as confusion, lethargy, extreme sleepiness, or hallucinations (hepatic encephalopathy)
Hepatitis Signs and Symptoms In Women and Men : abdominal pain, very dark urine, yellowing of the skin, whites of the eyes, severe fatigue or achiness, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite
Severe, advanced liver disease with cirrhosis (scarring) can produce symptoms related to cirrhosis. These symptoms include : Fluid accumulation in the legs (edema). Abdomen (ascites). Mental confusion or coma. Kidney failure. Vulnerability to bacterial infections. Gastrointestinal bleeding.
If your hepatitis develops into chronic condition, then you may develop no symptoms or very mild and vague symptoms such as jaundice. However, by the time the jaundice clearly appears, your liver damage will be in advanced stage.
It is to be noted that the hepatitis symptoms will develop only when you have an active chronic hepatitis. On the other hand, if you are with passive chronic hepatitis, you may develop no hepatitis symptoms.
Even the inflammation in the liver will gradually reduces and it becomes impossible for you to transmit the virus to others.
In some cases, the hepatitis infection may not recover completely and you may experience some repeated hepatitis symptoms.
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