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All you need to know about Hepatitis on World Hepatitis Day

What is Hepatitis?

Hepatitis is one of the major health threats in the world that lead to around 1.34 million deaths every year. It is an infection caused by the inflammation of the liver. The common viruses that cause this infection are A, B, C, D, E, and G. Though the symptoms remain the same, the severity and duration vary depending upon the viruses that cause it.

Types of Hepatitis

Hepatitis A (HAV)

Hepatitis A is an infection of the liver caused by the hepatitis A virus.

How it spreads?

Consumption of contaminated food or water and poor sanitation.

Symptoms

Nausea, loss of appetite, jaundice, dark and pale stools.

Prevention: Hepatitis A vaccination

Hepatitis B (HBV)

It is an infection of the liver caused due to a virus named hepatitis B virus. This infection can lead to scarring of the liver, organ failure, and cancer. Hepatitis B can be even fatal if it is left untreated.

How it spreads?

Contact with the hepatitis B infected blood, open sores, or body fluids.

Symptoms

Fatigue, jaundice, fever, and light coloured stool.

Prevention

Hepatitis B vaccination

Hepatitis C (HCV)

This infection of the liver is caused by the hepatitis C virus.

How it spreads?

Hepatitis C spreads by sharing infected needles, blood transfusion, or having sex with an infected person. It can be also transmitted from an infected mother to a newborn baby.

Symptoms

Poor appetite, yellow discolouration of eyes, itchy skin, weight loss, dark-coloured urine etc.

Prevention

Currently, no vaccination is available to protect hepatitis C. However, if you have hepatitis C, your doctor may recommend getting hepatitis A and hepatitis B vaccines to prevent symptoms from getting worse.

Hepatitis D (HDV)

Hepatitis D, also known as the hepatitis delta virus, is an infection that leads to the inflammation of the liver.

How it spreads?

Contact with the blood or body fluids of an infected person.

Symptoms

Abdominal pain, fatigue, nausea, yellow skin and eyes.

Prevention

Right now, there is no effective antiviral treatment available for hepatitis D, however, it can be prevented by hepatitis B immunization.

Hepatitis E (HEV)

Hepatitis E is a liver disease caused by hepatitis E virus (HEV). This virus is shed in the stools of infected persons and enters the human body through the intestine.

How it spreads?

Hepatitis E spreads by drinking contaminated drinking water or eating the uncooked meat of infected animals.

Symptoms

Joint and abdominal pain, fever, loss of appetite, dark urine, yellow skin and eyes.

Prevention

A vaccine to prevent hepatitis E virus infection has been developed in China, but it is not available anywhere else.

Hepatitis G (HGV)

Hepatitis G, also known as GB virus-C is a rare infection that leads to inflammation of the liver. It often occurs as a co-infection with other viruses such as HBV or HCV.

How it spreads?

Those who receive hepatitis-G infected blood, IV drug users, those with an impaired immune response and those engaging in unprotected sex or receiving tattoos and piercings from unsterilized equipment have greater risks of developing hepatitis G.

Symptoms

Fatigue, joint pain, loss of appetite, etc are the symptoms.

Prevention

Currently, there is no FDA approved vaccination for hepatitis G.

Hepatitis can have a serious impact on the health and economy of a nation. Currently, there are around 325 million people in the world living with viral hepatitis but they are unaware of it. Therefore, let’s join our hands to create awareness about this disease and reduce further spread of the virus.

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