What is hepatitis? Symptoms and causes

What is hepatitis?

Hepatitis is another word for inflammation of the liver. Liver inflammation can have various causes, such as virus infections, alcohol abuse, and metabolic disorders. Of the viruses that can specifically cause inflammation of the liver, we currently know different types, all of which are indicated by a letter.

Hepatitis A and hepatitis E virus are mainly transmitted via contaminated water and food. The symptoms of this acute hepatitis usually disappear spontaneously over a few weeks to months, and chronic inflammation never occurs.

Hepatitis B, C, and D viruses are usually transmitted through direct contact with blood.

This can be, for example, in the case of blood transfusion, joint use of injection needles, toothbrushes, razor blades, tattoo needles, piercing or during birth, blood often runs from the mother to the child. With hepatitis B, a minuscule amount of blood can be sufficient to transmit infection: this is rare in hepatitis C and D.

Hepatitis B, C, and D can disappear after acute liver inflammation: however, the virus can also remain present, then a chronic liver inflammation develops. Hepatitis C 

Most virus diseases of the liver have been known for a long time. However, the hepatits C virus was only discovered in 1989. Hepatitis C is one of the most common forms of chronic liver inflammation; probably at least 2% of the world’s population is infected with it.

In the Netherlands, perhaps 15,000 to 60,000 people (0.1-0.4% of the total population) have this virus with them. It is slightly more common among people from the Mediterranean.

What is a virus?

A virus is a tiny particle that can only reproduce in the cells of other organisms. Human-to-human viral infections usually occur through infected body fluids such as saliva, feces, vaginal fluid, sperm, and blood. Some viruses are quickly cleared away by the body after a short period of illness, such as the cold viruses. Trend Health

There are also viruses that no longer disappear from the body after an infection. There is then a virus carrier (chronic infection). Whether a virus disappears after a short-term infection or gives rise to being a carrier with sometimes severe inflammation.

it is determined, on the one hand, the characteristics of the virus and on the other side by the extent to which the body can recognize and combat the virus.

In addition, viruses often have a special preference for specific organs, so that some viruses in particular cause skin disorders (for example, a red dog), others primarily respiratory diseases such as flu, and others primary inflammation of the liver such as hepatitis viruses.

In addition to Hepatitis Symptoms, virus infections also express themselves with more general illnesses such as fever and fatigue.