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Hepatitis & Cirrhosis Information

Hepatitis C Information
Hepatitis B Information
Hepatitis A Information
Cirrhosis Information

Hepatitis C

Hepatitis C is a serious contagious disease of the liver that is caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV). Hepatitis C and its implications were identified only recently. There still is much to learn about the disease, the virus that causes it, and the treatment options, both conventional and alternative. What many people do not realize is that there is a relationship between hepatitis C and the HIV epidemic.

About three million Americans are infected with HIV, the human immune virus, and many of them do not even know they have it. Other forms of viral hepatitis usually resolve without treatment. But 85 percent of the people with HIV develop long-lasting hepatitis C. Most people infected with HCV show no symptoms for up to 20 to 30 years. During that time, though, the infection may be slowly damaging the person's liver.

The effects of hepatitis C can be debilitating. They can include: sudden hearing loss; anemia and other forms of low-blood-cell counts; headaches; heart, eye, liver or kidney problems; and disorders of the mind, including depression.

The virus can be found in a number of organs of the body. The infection is spread mainly by contact with the blood of an infected person. Once a person is infected, the body's disease-fighting immune system cannot combat the virus very well.

Most people with chronic hepatitis C develop long-term liver disease, which interferes with the liver's ability to work properly. Some patients eventually develop cirrhosis -- a scarring of the liver; some get liver cancer; and some even die from liver disease.

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Hepatitis B

The hepatitis B virus is spread from one person to another through body fluids, including blood, semen, and vaginal fluids (including menstrual blood). The virus can be passed from a mother to her newborn baby during delivery (perinatal transmission). However, most people in the United States acquire HBV infection as adolescents or adults.

Short-term (acute) infection usually goes away on its own without treatment. Some people have no symptoms. Most people who develop symptoms feel better in 2 to 3 weeks and recover completely after 4 to 8 weeks. Other people may take longer to recover. Long-term (chronic) infection occurs when the hepatitis B virus continues to be present in a person's liver and blood for 6 months or more. Chronic infection can lead to serious liver diseases such as cirrhosis and liver cancer.

Chronic infection develops in up to 90% of children infected at birth, in 30% of children infected between the ages of 1 and 5, and in about 6% of those infected after age 5.

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Hepatitis A

Hepatitis A is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis A virus (HAV). It is one of the most widely reported diseases that is preventable by a vaccine. Other viruses can cause hepatitis, most commonly the hepatitis B and C viruses. However, hepatitis has many causes, including certain medications, long-term alcohol use, and exposure to certain industrial chemicals. Viral hepatitis can be spread from one person to another, but the other types of hepatitis cannot.

The Hepatitis A virus is spread mainly by oral contact with stool containing the virus. If contaminated stool gets into the water or food supply, the virus may infect anyone who drinks the water or eats the food. This is how most people around the world become infected with hepatitis A.

In the United States, most people become infected through contact with a household member who has the virus (such as when changing a diaper) or a sex partner who is infected. Sometimes large groups of people become infected after eating in a restaurant. This usually happens when an employee with the virus prepares food after not washing his or her hands well after using the bathroom. Outbreaks may also occur in day care centers and other facilities which involve close contact.

In rare cases, hepatitis A can be spread through sexual contact or contact with blood from a person who has the virus circulating in his or her bloodstream. The virus is present in the blood before symptoms appear. Transmission through blood transfusions, while possible, seldom occurs.

People infected with hepatitis A may develop symptoms of fatigue, fever, muscle soreness, headaches, nausea, and/or jaundice. Symptoms usually last about 2 weeks. You can spread the virus to other people for at least 2 weeks before symptoms develop.

HAV infection does not cause long-term illness or chronic liver damage. More than 99% of people recover. However, in very rare cases a severe, rapidly progressing liver infection called fulminant hepatitis can occur. This may lead to an urgent need for liver transplantation. Fulminant hepatitis causes death in some people.

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Cirrhosis

Cirrhosis is a potentially life-threatening condition that occurs when scarring damages the liver. This scarring (also called fibrosis) replaces healthy tissue and prevents the liver from working normally. Cirrhosis usually develops after years of liver inflammation.

The major causes of cirrhosis are usually from drinking excessive amounts of alcohol over many years or having certain forms of viral hepatitis (mainly hepatitis B or C). There are several other causes of cirrhosis that are less common such as Primary bilary cirrhosis, Autoimmune hepatitis, inherited diseases (i.e. - Wilson's disease, cystic fibrosis, or hemochromatosis). Other less common causes of cirrhosis may include severe reactions to prescribed medications, prolonged exposure to poisons in the environment, having a condition called alpha1-antitrypsin deficiency (rare), having a condition where too much fat is stored in the liver (nonalcoholic steatohepatitis - NASH for short), or having a long-term biliary tract disease (such as sclerosing cholangitis). NASH is increasingly common and may be the underlying cause of many cases of cirrhosis for which the cause is unknown.

As cirrhosis develops, scar tissue surrounds normal liver cells, making the tissue bumpy, or nodular. This nodular liver tissue can block the bile ducts or make them swollen, which can cause bile to back up in the liver and bloodstream.

Scar tissue also may block blood flow through the liver. Obstruction of blood flow can cause the veins that bring blood to the liver to become larger and may lead to high blood pressure in the veins that flow from the intestines to the liver (portal hypertension).

A person may not have symptoms early in the course of cirrhosis. In many cases, symptoms develop only after the disease progresses. Once scar tissue forms in the liver, it cannot be repaired. Treatment includes avoiding substances that may further damage the liver and treating any symptoms and complications. Liver transplantation may be considered once symptoms progress. Symptoms may include fluid buildup in the legs, fatigue, yellowing in the skin, itching, profuse nosebleeds, redness of the palms, and abdominal pain.

People who have cirrhosis may be at increased risk for developing gallstones. The more severe the liver disease, the higher risk a person has of developing gallstones. Cirrhosis also increases risk of developing liver cancer, mainly hepatocellular carcinoma, regardless of the cause of the cirrhosis.