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General information on viral hepatitis and its treatment

Hepatitis or the inflammation of the liver is caused by drugs, toxins, alcohol, chemicals, autoimmune diseases and mononucleosis and the cytomegalovirus. Usually the liver is infected with the following hepatitis viruses: A,B, C, D, E, F, G, the most common infections are with A, B, C hepatitis viruses. In healthy people the liver is of three pounds weight and is located behind the right ribcage. Its vital functions are: purifying the blood of chemicals and toxins by transforming them in less harmfull substances, those toxins can be internal such as : bilirubin or ammonia in high quantities and external such as: alcohol or drugs. Their molecules are transformed into smaller ones and eliminates them through urine or stool, also the liver produces proteins, fats and glucides and also stores them, manufactures cholesterol.

Hepatitis or the inflammation of the liver afects its functions.

Common type of hepatitis:

Hepatitis A

Hepatitis A or infectious hepatitis is an acute illness with no chronic transformation, which is transmitted from person to person by close contact or through contaminated water, food. That’s why is so important to wash hands properly and to take sanitary precautions.

Hepatitis B

Hepatitis B or serum hepatitis has a high rate of contamination in US, it is spread through blood transfusions, shared needles in drug abusers, tattooing, hemodialysis, from mother to baby during labour, accidental needle sticks with needles contaminated with infected blood, sexual contact, body piercing, and sharing razors and toothbrushes, those infected spread the infection, The most common complications developed by those with hepatitis B are: chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, liver failure and liver cancer.

Hepatitis C

Hepatitis C or non-A, non-B hepatitis is spread by shared needles among drug abusers, hemodialysis, needle sticks, blood transfusion most cases of hepatitis C are caused by blood transfusion with infected blood. Many patients infected with hepatitis C virus develop chronic hepatitis, they also have high risks of developing cirrhosis, liver failure, and liver cancer.

Types D, E, F, and G Hepatitis

Among those types the most important is hepatitis D virus or delta virus and it is spread by contaminated blood, sexual contact and by sharing needles among drug abusers. Patients with chronic hepatitis may develop infection with delta virus in the same time with the infection with hepatitis B virus or during a chronic infection with hepatitis B virus because delta virus can’t infect the liver cells without a protein that the hepatitis B virus makes and which enable delta virus to affect the surface of the liver cells. Hepatitis with virus B and delta virus is even harder to treat, chronic hepatitis with hepatitis B and hepatitis D viruses gives cirrhosis rapidly.