Hepatitis refers to inflamation of liver by chemicals, alcohol Consumption, virus, infection etc.
viral hepatitis: is communicable disease caused by virus. In it there is an inflammation of the liver causing jaundice.Hepatitis is one of the communicable pathogenic diseases as dangerous as that of AIDS.
According to National Academy of Medical Science (NAMS), Bir Hospital said that about 2% of the population in Nepal is affected by hepatitis i.e. about 6 lakhs of people are infected by hepatitis. More of the patient dies due to liver cirrhosis or cancer.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said that about 300 million people are with chronic hepatitis in the world & About 1.3 million deaths each year.
Causative agent: is virus called hepatitis virus.There are six known Hepatitis viruses which are
Hepatitis A, B, C, D & E.
Hepatitis is most commonly caused by three viruses such as-Hepatitis A virus (HAV), Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and Hepatitis C virus (HCV).
Hepatitis B virus is DNA virus while others A, C, D, E are RNA virus.
Types of Hepatitis on the basis of virus.
Hepatitis A
It is very common in children and is called infectious hepatitis , caused by HAV. It's infection results mainly due to intake of Contaminated food and drinks. It is transmitted through falco-oral route. the virus reaches into intestine along with food and drinks and multiplies in the epithelium of intestine and then reaches into liver. It's incubation period is about (15-40) days. It can be prolonged illness upto 6 months and does not cause chronic liver disease.
It is usually active for short period of time and once a person recover; he or she can no longer pass the virus to other people.
Hepatitis B
It is also called serum hepatitis caused by HBV which is DNA virus. This disease can lead to chronic liver disease and liver cancer.
The virus of this disease can be found in all body fluids like blood, semen, vaginal discharge, milk, sweat, tears etc. therefore can spread through sexual contact, contaminated blood transfusions, from mother to Child and shared needles for drug injections.
It also Spread by contaminated urine. Thus, in child care centers or schools, toilets and sinks used by infected person should be cleaned with antiseptic cleansers.
Frequent hand washing and food hygiene practice can reduce the risk of infection.
Thus, mode of transmission is Parenterally and by personal Contact.
It's incubation period is about 40-200 days.
With acute hepatitis B, 85% to 90% of the patients recover from their illness completely within 6 months without long-term complications.
Hepatitis C
It is also called blood hepatitis because can primarily spread by direct contact with an infected person's blood & is caused by HCV. This virus also can lead to chronic liver disease and liver Cancer.
It Can spread through shared drug needles. It can spread from a mother to her foetus (during pregnancy).
The mode of transmission is Parenterally and personal Contact.
About 75% to 85% of hepatitis C patients do not recover completely and more likely to continue to have a long term infection.
Some people with hepatitis B and C may also become lifelong carriers of these viruses and can spread them to other.
Symptoms:
Hepatitis in the early stages may cause fever, muscles aches, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, jaundice, malaise (ill feeling), etc.
Children with hepatitis usually have mild symptoms or have no symptoms.
If hepatitis progresses it affects the liver as the source of illness. Chemicals secreted by the infected liver may causes jaundice, epigastric pain, abdominal pain, indigestion, foul breath, a bitter taste in the mouth, Pain in Joints & muscles, dark or tea coloured urine, white or light or clay-coloured stool, liver size swell up & get conjested etc.
In later stage, size of liver decreases and Colour become green or yellow.
Prevention Measures (Prophylaxis):
• Follow good hygiene and avoid crowded, unhealthy living conditions.
• Take extra care at the time of swimming or drinking.
• Take care where sanitation and water quality are poor.
• Washing hand frequently before eating.
• Use antiseptic cleansers to clean toilet, sink, bedpan used by hepatitis patient.
• Use sterilized needles and syringes.
• Blood must be screened before transfusion.
• unsafe sexual relations must not be established.
• Sharing of skin piercing instruments must not be done.
• Breast feeding by infected woman must not be done.
• Education and advertisement about impact of hepatitis are necessary.
• Vaccination of hepatitis B.
Diagnosis:
All the viral hepatitis is diagnosed by blood tests, liver function test, liver biopsy,ultrasound , urine test, pcr etc.
Treatment:
Alfa-interferon, Tenofovir, Entecavir, Adefovir, Lamivudine etc are used as medicine for the treatment of hepatitis