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How Hepatitis Is Spread To Others

admin — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Hepatitis is swelling of the liver. Hepatitis is also a cluster of viral infections of the liver that can lead to severe complications and illnesses, including cancer.

Causes and Types

Hepatitis A and E can be transmitted by contaminated food and drink. You can become infected with hepatitis B, C or D through infected blood. Hepatitis B and sometimes C can also be contracted through unprotected sex or during childbirth.

Contagious

Hepatitis caused from bacteria and viruses is contagious. Viral hepatitis is often transmitted through sexual contact, sharing needles or accidental needle pricks.

Symptoms

It is easy to unknowingly pass hepatitis to another person because often there are no symptoms. Common symptoms of hepatitis include:

Fever

Loss of appetite

Fatigue

Joint pain

Abdominal pain

Headaches

Treatment

There are vaccines available that can prevent hepatitis A and B. There are no treatments available for hepatitis E and A, but each infection often resolves itself. Antiviral medications can help treat hepatitis C, B and sometimes D. If there is severe liver damage from hepatitis, a liver transplant may be the best option.

What to do when you find out you’ve got Hepatitis

admin — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 00:00:00 +0000

You do everything you can to feel protected in your life. You eat healthily, you got a homesecurityfamily.com system for your house and you always wear your seatbelt. But what do you do when a routine health exam reveals you’ve got hepatitis? Here are a few suggestions
Talk to your doctor – No, not when you get the results but in a follow up appointment where you’ve had time to absorb the diagnosis and put some questions together. Try to schedule with your doctor on a slow day so they’ve really got time to talk.
Get a plan – It’s not too scary to look at hepatitis as a lifelong condition when you figure out how to manage it. Work with your doctor on a drug plan and also figure out how to keep from spreading it to loved ones.
Join a group – There are plenty of diagnosis support groups available in large cities and better yet, chat rooms for Hepatitis suffers online if you wish to remain anonymous. Having other people who understand what you’re going through is always a big help.

Treatment Options If You Are Diagnosed With Hepatitis

admin — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

There are a few treatments for a person who is has been diagnosed with hepatitis. The first treatment is rest. This is because the person will lose most of their energy when they contract the disease. The second treatment is a change in diet. This diet will need to consist of any foods and drinks that are high in protein and carbohydrates. This is because these things can help to repair the damage of the hepatitis on the liver. Plus they will also help to prevent the liver from any further damage.

The third treatment is Interferon. Interferon is an antiviral agent that has a protein in it. It is a natural thing that the body makes but when hepatitis is in a person’s body, the body will no longer make Interferon. It can help fight off any viruses like hepatitis. It is mostly used in cases when a person has hepatitis B and C. It helps to form the new particles in a person’s body that will help them to fight off the virus. The immune system will be working better when a person is on Interferon.

These are the top three treatments for a person who has been diagnosed with hepatitis.

Different Ways To Avoid Getting Hepatitis

admin — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Hepatitis is a liver damaging disease that is quite common but very harmful to the human body. For this factor alone, you should be aware of the various ways to avoid contracting Hepatitis.

An important detail when it comes to preventing Hepatitis is keeping clean. Excellent hygiene is a very important matter here and must be taken seriously. Keeping great body hygiene is one factor but there are also others, such as avoiding living in crowded homes and refrain from living in unsuitable and unhealthy conditions.

If you enjoy traveling, you should be extra careful. Since Hepatitis A tends to be found in the stools and saliva of infected persons, it is not uncommon for this virus to be able to spread to food and water which has also been contaminated. Knowing this, when you are traveling, take extra notice of the water quality as it can vary from place to place.

To avoid contacting Hepatitis B, you should refrain from sharing needles to inject the body with drugs, practice safe sex and general body cleanliness. As far as Hepatitis C is concerned, this virus is considered to be the most dangerous as there is no vaccine or treatment currently for it.

A few symptoms of Hepatitis include flu, jaundice like symptoms, abdominal pain, dark color of urine and light or palely colored stools. If you have any of these symptoms, you should consult your physician immediately.

Symptoms Of The Different Types Of Hepatitis

admin — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0000

There are many people with hepatitis A who have no symptoms, or the symptoms are so mild they are unaware of them. The symptoms, which usually occur 2-6 weeks after infection, may include: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, loss of appetite, dark urine, jaundice, abdominal pain near the liver, muscle pain and low grade fever. The symptoms usually last less than two months, though some last as long as nine months.
The symptoms of hepatitis B usually occur 1-4 months after exposure, but half of all people infected do not develop symptoms, and may never know they were infected. The symptoms are similar to the flu and may include: nausea, vomiting, weakness, jaundice, abdominal pain, fever, loss of appetite, dark urine, itching all over the body and joint pain.
The symptoms of hepatitis C may not develop for 10-20 years, and 80 of people infected never develop symptoms. Unfortunately, hepatitis C damages the liver, and the infected person may not be aware of the disease until the damage is severe. When symptoms do develop, they may include: nausea, fatigue, fever, joint pain, tenderness near the abdomen, dark urine, clay colored stools and jaundice. Hepatitis C can lead to cirrhosis of the liver.

What Types Of Hepatitis Are Curable?

admin — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0000

There are several types of hepatitis. When thinking about which types of hepatitis are considered curable, you need to understand what hepatitis is.

Hepatitis is defined as inflammation of the liver. There can be several causes for this inflammation including reactions to certain drugs and alcohol, environmental factors and viruses. Hepatitis that is caused from alcohol, drugs or other environmental factors can be “cured” by ceasing use of the drug or alcohol and minimizing exposure to the environmental factor that is causing the hepatitis.

Viral hepatitis has been categorized by sub-types. These sub-types are letters such as Hepatitis A, B, C and so on. The virus that causes Hepatitis A comes from fecal matter and is not life threatening. There are no medications or treatments that can be taken to “cure” the person with this virus. The virus will cause flu-like symptoms several weeks after exposure and then as the body creates antibodies you get better. There is a vaccination available for Hepatitis A.

Hepatitis B is a sexually transmitted disease. This virus generally leads to liver failure, liver cancer and eventually death. There is treatment to attempt to eradicate the Hepatitis B virus from the body but it is not a “cure.” A vaccination series is available for Hepatitis B and is given to all children when they are born.

Hepatitis C is the virus most commonly found in people with a history of IV drug abuse. It is not considered a sexually transmitted disease but can be transmitted through sexual contact. There is a treatment for Hepatitis C but the chances of eradicating this virus from the body is less than 50 percent. There is no vaccination for Hepatitis C.