Living in the United States,
Hepatitis is a disease that generally does not impact our daily lives. Despite the fact that it is not always on our
health radar, Hepatitis is a serious disease that should be at the forefront of
everyone’s health concerns.
In the simplest of terms, viral
hepatitis is inflammation of the liver. There are five different hepatitis
viruses including hepatitis A, B, C, D and E. According to the National
Academies of Sciences, Engineer and Medicine, “Viral hepatitis is the seventh leading
cause of death in the world”. Chronic
viral hepatitis, of which hepatitis B and C are the most common forms, kills
millions of people around the world each year.
Approximately 20,000 of these deaths occur in the United States.
Some symptoms of Hepatitis
include (although often there are no symptoms at the onset of the disease):
- Malaise
- Fatigue
- Reduced appetite
- Fever
- Muscle or joint pain
- Nausea and vomiting
- Belly pain
- Darkened urine
- Light-colored stool
- Yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes
- Itchy skin
- Mental changes
- Internal bleeding
The most common ways this disease
is transmitted is through direct contact with bodily fluids of an infected
person, or contact with water, food or other sources tainted with fecal matter
from an individual carrying the disease. Treatment methods vary depending upon
the type of hepatitis infection.
Vaccinations and proper hygiene
are the most common ways to prevent most types of hepatitis infections (currently
there is no vaccination for hepatitis C).
Additionally, if you know of a person who is infected with the virus, it
is important to get prompt medical care and avoid direct contact with that individual.
