Name: Charmaine Kelly Posadas Passed to: Mrs.

Marichu Arce
Year/Section: MDWY 2-1

Hepatitis

The word hepatitis simply means an inflammation of the liver without pinpointing a specific cause. Someone with hepatitis may:

• have one of several disorders, including viral or bacterial infection of the liver
• have a liver injury caused by a toxin (poison)
• have liver damage caused by interruption of the organ's normal blood supply
• be experiencing an attack by his or her own immune system through an autoimmune disorder
• have experienced trauma to the abdomen in the area of the liver

Hepatitis is most commonly caused by one of three viruses:

1. the hepatitis A virus

2. the hepatitis B virus
3. the hepatitis C virus

In some rare cases, the Epstein Barr Virus (which causes mononucleosis) can also result in hepatitis because it can cause inflammation
of the liver. Other viruses and bacteria that also can cause hepatitis include hepatitis D and E, chickenpox, and cytomegalovirus
(CMV).
 Hepatitis A, B and C

Hepatitis A Hepatitis B Hepatitis C

Cause hepatitis A virus (HAV) hepatitis B virus (HBV) hepatitis C virus (HCV)
• virus is excreted in the stool of • contact with blood, sexual • contact with blood of infected
infected persons fluids, saliva, or other bodily individuals
fluids containing visible blood of
• lack of proper hand washing canan infected individual • blood transfusion(s) before 1992
pass the virus through food and injection drug use are major
preparation or other hand to • infected bodily fluids must risk factors
Transmission mouth contact enter through a break in the skin or
mucous membranes • the risk of spreading this virus to
• hepatitis A can be caught by close contacts is very low
drinking contaminated water or by
eating raw or under-cooked
shellfish that have been exposed
to sewage
• 15 - 50 days • 45 - 180 days • 2 weeks - 6 months
Incubation
• average 28 - 30 days • average 60 - 90 days • average 6 - 9 weeks
 • fever, nausea, abdominal pain • nausea • majority of people do not have
symptoms and may feel quite
• yellow colour to skin/eyes • vomiting healthy

• children may not show • fatigue • some individuals will develop

symptoms fatigue, jaundice, anorexia,
• abdominal discomfort abdominal discomfort, vomiting
Symptoms
• yellow colour to skin
(sometimes)

• sometimes no symptoms

• hepatitis A vaccine (2 doses • hepatitis B vaccine (3 doses • standard precautions for

over 6 - 12 months) over 6 months) handling blood and bloody bodily
fluids
• good personal hygiene • use a latex barrier for sexual
activity or practice abstinence • avoid sexual intercourse during
• sanitary disposal of feces and menstrual bleeding
urine • standard precautions with
Prevention respect to handling body fluids • never share needles, razors,
• no food handling by infected scissors, or toothbrushes
persons • never share needles, razors,
toothbrushes, nail clippers,
• avoid undercooked shellfish tattooing or piercing equipment
from unknown sources
• vaccination of household and
• drink water from a safe source sexual contacts
 • no specific treatment • rest • alpha interferon is medication
that may interfere with the
• household contacts may receive • medication to help manage reproduction of the virus after it
immuneglobulin and/or vaccine symptoms has invaded the body

• rest • interferon; anti-virals • ribavirin is another antiviral

Treatment
drug usually used along with
interferon

• long acting or pegylated form

of interferon is most effective and
results in a cure rate of about 50%
• most recover and have lifelong • 6 - 10% of infected people • where inflammation in the liver
immunity develop chronic disease and are continues longer than 6 months,
life-long carriers the disease is considered
• no carrier state once acute "chronic", which occurs in 75-85%
Prognosis infection is over • may lead to cirrhosis of liver or of cases
hepatic cancer