Download Hepatitis is the inflammation of the liver. Causes include viruses

Hepatitis is the inflammation of the liver. Causes include viruses,
bacterial infections, alcohol, autoimmune disorders, drugs, and toxins.
LEARNING OBJECTIVE [ edit ]
Differentiate between acute and chronic hepatitis
KEY POINTS [ edit ]
Hepatitis is acute when it lasts less than six months and chronic when it persists longer.
The initial symptoms of hepatitis are nonspecific flu­like symptoms, common to almost all acute
viral infections and may include malaise, muscle and joint aches, fever, nausea or
vomiting, diarrhea, and headache.
A diagnosis of hepatitis is usually made by a combination ofblood work and physical examination.
When the liver is inflamed, levels of certain liver enzymes that are found in the blood will be
elevated. If a patient has viral hepatitis, the presence of the virus can be detected in the blood.
There are many causes of liver inflammation or hepatitis. The most common cause of acute
hepatitis is infection with the Hepatitis B, C, or D viruses. Bacterial diseases can also cause liver
inflammation, such as tuberculosis and tick­borne diseases.
Non­infectious causes of hepatitis include alcohol, autoimmune conditions, drugs, circulatory
insufficiency, metabolic diseases, pregnancy, and toxins.
For those with alcohol­induced hepatitis, cessation of drinking is recommended, as alcoholic
hepatitis is often the beginning of more serious drinking­related liver disorders.
TERMS [ edit ]
jaundice
A yellowish pigmentation of the skin, the whites of the eyes (sclera), and other mucous
membranes caused by increased levels of bilirubin in the blood that build up in extracellular fluid,
usually due to liver disease.
hepatitis
inflammation of the liver, sometimes caused by a viral infection
ascites
An accumulation of fluid in the peritoneal cavity, frequently symptomatic of liver disease.
cirrhosis
A chronic disease of the liver caused by damage from toxins (including alcohol), metabolic
problems, hepatitis, or nutritional deprivation. It is characterized by an increase of fibrous tissue
and the destruction of liver cells.
Give us feedback on this content: FULL TEXT [ edit ]
Hepatitis is the inflammation of the liver.
The condition can be self­limiting (healing
on its own) or can progress
to fibrosis (scarring) andcirrhosis.
Hepatitis may occur with limited or no
symptoms, but often leads to jaundice,
poor appetite, and malaise. Hepatitis is
acute when it lasts less than six months
and chronic when it persists longer. A
group of viruses, known as the hepatitis
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viruses, cause most cases of hepatitis worldwide, but it can also be due to toxins, notably
alcohol, certain medications, some industrial organic solvents, and plants.
Symptoms
The initial symptoms of hepatitis are nonspecific flu­like symptoms, common to almost all
acute viral infections and may include malaise, muscle and joint aches, fever, nausea or
vomiting, diarrhea, and headache. More specific symptoms, which can be present in acute
hepatitis from any cause, are profound loss of appetite, aversion to smoking among smokers,
dark urine, yellowing of the eyes and skin and abdominal discomfort. Physical findings are
usually minimal, apart from jaundice and liver swelling. Some patients exhibit
enlarged lymph nodes or enlargement of the spleen.
Jaundice
Jaundice, seen here as yellowing of the eyes, is often a symptom of hepatitis.
Acute Hepatitis
Acute viral hepatitis is more likely to be asymptomatic in younger people. Symptomatic
individuals may present after convalescent stage of 7 to 10 days, with the total illness lasting
2 to 6 weeks.
A small proportion of people with acute hepatitis progress to acute liver failure, in which the
liver is unable to clear harmful substances from the circulation, leading to confusion and
coma due liver insufficiency, and unable to produce blood proteins, leading to
peripheral edema and bleeding. This may become life­threatening and, occasionally, requires
a liver transplant.
Chronic Hepatitis
Chronic hepatitis often leads to nonspecific symptoms, such as malaise, tiredness and
weakness, and often causes no symptoms at all. It is commonly identified on blood tests
performed either for screening or to evaluate nonspecific symptoms. The occurrence of
jaundice indicates advanced liver damage. On physical examination, there may be
enlargement of the liver.
Extensive damage and scarring of liver, known as cirrhosis, leads to weight loss, easy
bruising and bleeding tendencies, peripheral edema and accumulation of ascites, or fluid in
theabdominal cavity. Eventually, cirrhosis may lead to various complications, including
esophageal varices, which are enlarged veins in the wall of the esophagus that can cause life­
threatening bleeding; hepatic encephalopathy, which causes confusion and coma;
and kidney dysfunction.
Diagnoses
A diagnosis of hepatitis is usually made by a combination of blood work and physical
examination. When the liver is inflamed, levels of certain liver enzymes that are found in the
blood will be elevated. If a patient has viral hepatitis, the presence of the virus can be
detected in the blood. Patients with progressing liver damage will often display jaundice, or
yellowing of the whites of the eyes and skin, and their livers will be visibly enlarged.
Causes
There are many causes of liver inflammation, or, hepatitis. The most common cause of acute
hepatitis is infection with the Hepatitis B, C, or D viruses. Bacterial diseases can also cause
liver inflammation, such as tuberculosis and tick­borne diseases.
Hepatitis B Virus
The hepatitis B virus is a common cause of liver inflammtion.
Non­infectious causes of hepatitis include alcohol, autoimmune conditions, drugs,
circulatory insufficiency, metabolic diseases, pregnancy, and toxins.
Alcohol is a significant cause of hepatitis worldwide. Usually alcoholic hepatitis comes after a
period of increased alcohol consumption. Alcoholic hepatitis is characterized by a variable
constellation of symptoms, which may include feeling unwell, enlargement of the liver,
development of fluid in the abdomen ascites, and a modest elevation of liver blood tests.
Alcoholic hepatitis can vary from mild with only liver test elevation to severe liver
inflammation with development of jaundice and liver failure.
Alcoholic hepatitis is distinct from cirrhosis caused by long­term alcohol consumption.
Alcoholic hepatitis can occur in patients with chronic alcoholic liver disease and alcoholic
cirrhosis. Alcoholic hepatitis by itself does not lead to cirrhosis, but cirrhosis is more
common in patients with long­term alcohol consumption.
Treatment
Treatment of hepatitis typically involves treating the underlying condition that caused the
inflammation.
In acute hepatitis caused by the hepatitis viruses, often, the liver inflammation will subside
when the viral illness has subsided. Antiviral medications, such as interferon, can be used to
treat the hepatitis viruses. There is currently avaccination for Hepatitis B, but not for C or D.
Similarly, hepatitis caused by a bacterial disease will typically resolve once the bacterial
illness is treated with antibiotics.
For non­infectious causes of hepatitis, treatment of the underlying cause is necessary. For
those with alcohol­induced hepatitis, cessation of drinking is recommended, as alcoholic
hepatitis is often the beginning of more serious drinking­related liver disorders.