Hepatitis A
Hepatitis A is a serious disease that is caused by a virus which attacks the liver and results in its inflammation.
Symptoms of Hepatitis A include weakness, headache and fever as well as diarrhea, stomach cramps and jaundice.
Causes of Hepatitis A
- Drinking contaminated water
- Not washing your hands after changing a diaper
- Having oral or anal sex with an infected person
Diagnosis of Hepatitis A
Blood tests are used to detect the presence of Hepatitis A in your body. A positive test result indicates that the patient has either had a past infection or is at present infected. A negative test result means the patient is not infected with Hepatitis A.
Treatment
It gets better in a few weeks without any specific treatment. Get Hepatitis A vaccine to prevent Hepatitis A.
Hepatitis B
Occurs in both rapidly developing (acute) and long-lasting (chronic) forms, and is one of the commonest chronic infectious diseases worldwide.
A person who is chronically infected with the Hepatitis B virus is called a “carrier” of the virus and they can spread the Hepatitis B virus to other people through his/her blood and other body fluids or by sexual contact.
Symptoms of Hepatitis B include acute illness with fatigue and loss of appetite and their skin and eyes turn yellow.
People at risk of getting such illness include:
- Men or women who have multiple sexual partners.
- People who abuse drugs by injection.
Hepatitis B is diagnosed through blood tests. The tests will show a completely negative result, a positive antibody test (anti-HBs) or a positive antigen test (HBsAg)
Treatment of Hepatitis B
There are two types of treatment now available: interferon-alpha and direct inhibitors of the virus, such as Lamivudine or Adefovir. We carry all the medications for this liver disease treatment.
You can avoid Hepatitis B by
- Getting the Hepatitis B vaccine
- Adopting safe sex practices
Hepatitis C
Inflammation of the liver caused by infection with HCV is referred to as Hepatitis C.
Symptoms of Hepatitis B include fatigue, jaundice, abdominal and joint pain, nausea and loss of appetite
The most common means of transmission is through injection drug use, sharing contaminated needles or any drug-related equipment or through a blood transfusion. The rate of transmission by sexual contact is considered to be very low.
Hepatitis C can only be diagnosed through blood tests.
If you test positive then the physician will do a follow-up blood test to see the liver condition.
The risk of passing Hepatitis C to your newborn is about 5%. Cesarean section is not recommended and breastfeeding may be allowed.
To protect others from getting infected, keep the following things in mind
- Refrain from sharing razors, nail clippers and toothbrushes.
- Never donate blood.
