On the occasion of World Hepatitis Day, here is everything you need to know about the liver disease, from its causes and symptoms to types and more.
World Hepatitis Day 2022: Every year on July 28, World Hepatitis Day is celebrated across the world. The reason for celebrating this is to make people aware of the disease so that the cases of hepatitis are reduced. Hepatitis is basically a liver disease. The liver is an important organ of the body which helps in the process of digestion as well as cleaning toxins from the blood. However, in hepatitis, the infection causes inflammation of the liver. Hepatitis is a serious and life-threatening disease, but thankfully, its treatment is available. On the occasion of World Hepatitis Day, here is everything you need to know about the disease from its symptoms, types to cure and preventive measures.
What is Hepatitis? Hepatitis is a liver disease which causes inflammation in the liver. The risk of hepatitis can be prevented by creating awareness about the disease. Vaccine shots are also available which are given to children after their birth.
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Types of Hepatitis: There are five types of hepatitis virus. This includes Hepatitis A, B, C, D, and E, all of which are considered to be dangerous. According to a report by the World Health Organization, about 1.4 million people are affected by hepatitis A every year.
Hepatitis is also recognized on the basis of severity. In acute hepatitis, there is a sudden inflammation of the liver, the symptoms of which last for six months. With treatment, the disease gradually starts curing. Acute hepatitis is usually caused by HAV infection. The second is chronic hepatitis, in which HIV infection severely affects the patient's immune system. More people are dying due to liver cancer and liver disease.
Hepatitis is caused by blood and infected ingestion: Hepatitis A can be caused by eating contaminated food and consuming contaminated water. Hepatitis B can also be caused by transfusion of infected blood and exposure to semen and other fluids. Hepatitis C can be caused by the use of blood and infected injections.
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Hepatitis can be caused by side effects of medicines: Hepatitis D can be caused by the HDV virus. People who are already infected with the HBV virus can also become infected with this virus. However, when both HDV and HBV viruses occur together in the same patient, the situation becomes serious. Hepatitis E is caused by the HEV virus. In most countries, this virus of hepatitis is spread due to contaminated water and food.
Apart from this, taking more medicines also causes inflammation in liver cells and increases the risk of hepatitis. Excessive alcohol consumption also increases the risk of hepatitis.
Symptoms of Hepatitis:
• Always feeling tired
• Skin turning yellow
• Eyes turning yellow
• Loss of appetite
• Vomiting or nausea
• Abdominal pain and bloating
• Headache and dizziness
• Change in urine colour
• Sudden weight loss
• Jaundice or fever persisting for several weeks.