Choose the content to read
- What is Hepatitis A?
- What are the symptoms of Hepatitis A?
- Beware of severe infection.
- What is Hepatitis B?
- Hepatitis B infection in adults and children
- Hepatitis B carriers spread the virus
- What is Hepatitis C?
- What are the symptoms of Hepatitis C?
- How to prevent the Hepatitis C Virus?
Viral Hepatitis
Viral hepatitis is a severe disease caused by viral infections that lead to inflammation of the liver, resulting in scarring or fibrosis of the liver tissue. Inflammation and fibrosis lead to liver cirrhosis and increase the risk of liver cancer. Viral hepatitis is a contagious disease with many types of causative viral agents. In Thailand, the commonly encountered hepatitis viruses include hepatitis A, B, and C.
What is Hepatitis A?
The Hepatitis A virus is a viral agent that may lead to acute liver inflammation, potentially causing acute liver damage. This type of hepatitis virus is transmitted through food contaminated with the virus or through direct contact with a carrier of the hepatitis A virus. The incubation period and onset of symptoms for hepatitis A is approximately one month.
What are the signs and symptoms of hepatitis A?
Most people infected with the hepatitis A virus are often unaware of the infection because most do not experience severe symptoms, or some may not have symptoms at all. However, in symptomatic individuals, signs such as fever, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, or, in some cases, pain under the right rib cage due to liver swelling from acute hepatitis.
Individuals infected with the hepatitis A virus can recover with a robust immune system and good general health status. Symptoms are usually not severe, and the fever will subside in one week after symptom onset. However, jaundice may develop following the initial symptoms.
Beware of severe infection.
Although hepatitis A patients typically experience mild illness, about 1% of patients may develop severe and life-threatening symptoms. These include body and leg swellings, ascites, drowsiness, confusion, or abnormal bleeding. Additionally, the virus can stimulate the immune system, causing inflammation in other organs, such as vasculitis (inflammation of blood vessels) and myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle).
How to prevent Hepatitis A?
Hepatitis A is preventable through vaccination. While Thailand lacks a national policy for universal hepatitis A vaccination, certain groups working with or frequently exposed to many individuals should receive vaccination. These groups include healthcare workers, childcare providers, and those working in places with a high risk of spreading the virus, such as restaurants and facilities involved in drinking water production. Please ensure these people assess their immunity status and receive vaccination against hepatitis A to avoid getting infected and spreading the virus to others.
What is Hepatitis B?
Hepatitis B is an infectious disease that is transmissible through blood, childbirth, sharing needles, shared tattoo needles, shared piercing needles, and sexual intercourse.
What are the differences in Hepatitis B infection in adults and children?
Hepatitis B infection differs in child and adult patients. Adults, having a more robust immune system, can eliminate the virus more effectively than children, especially newborns who contract the virus from their mothers, who cannot eliminate the virus due to their underdeveloped immune systems. The hepatitis B virus can persist in their bodies into adulthood, resulting in chronic infection or becoming a carrier of the virus.
Hepatitis B infection is more severe than one may realize, carrying the risk of cirrhosis and liver cancer.
The persistence of hepatitis B virus in the liver leads to chronic liver inflammation with scarring or fibrosis and increases the risk of liver cancer.
Do Hepatitis B carriers spread the virus but do not suffer consequences themselves?
There is a misconception that hepatitis B virus carriers do not experience any harm or abnormalities themselves. This belief is incorrect. The danger of the hepatitis B virus lies in recurring inflammation of the liver, which can lead to cirrhosis and increase the risk of developing liver cancer. Therefore, if you are confirmed to be a carrier of the hepatitis B virus, it is essential to undergo a medical evaluation to assess the liver's condition and screen for liver cancer at an appropriate time.
How to prevent Hepatitis B?
Since Thailand has a high prevalence of chronic hepatitis B infection, hepatitis B vaccination has been mandatory for all newborns since 1992. Children born after that year, receiving vaccination at the appropriate times, are likely to have immunity against hepatitis B. However, those unsure of their vaccination status or were born before 1992 should get tested for hepatitis B to determine if they are immune or harboring the virus, helping them plan for appropriate care or get a timely vaccination.
What is Hepatitis C?
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a leading cause of chronic hepatitis, second only to hepatitis B virus and alcohol. HCV is another virus that causes chronic inflammation of the liver, leading to persistent liver damage, scarring, or fibrosis, and over time, it can progress to cirrhosis with an increased risk of liver cancer. HCV is transmissible through blood, tattooing, needle-stick injuries, sharing needles, exposure to infected blood, and sexual contact.
What are the symptoms of Hepatitis C?
During the early phase of HCV infection, the infection may not cause noticeable symptoms. However, through routine health screenings, elevated liver enzymes indicative of inflammation may be detectable before symptoms manifest. Once patients show symptoms, the liver may already be significantly affected, manifesting symptoms of jaundice, fatigue, leg swelling, abdominal swelling, bleeding tendencies, vomiting blood, and other signs of liver cirrhosis.
Can you contract the Hepatitis C virus through blood transfusion?
It is almost impossible to contract HCV through blood transfusion in modern times because all donated blood undergoes rigorous screening for the hepatitis C virus. However, for someone receiving blood transfusions more than ten years ago, there is a risk of contracting the virus.
How to prevent the Hepatitis C Virus?
Currently, there is no vaccine for the hepatitis C virus. Therefore, the best preventive measures include practicing safe behaviors such as avoiding sharing needles, exposure to blood, and practicing safe sex.
The hepatitis C virus is preventable through lifestyle adjustments and adherence to public health principles. If possible, undergo regular health check-ups, liver function tests, and a FibroScan test to screen for fatty liver and fibrosis.
