What is Viral Hepatitis?
Viral hepatitis is a liver disease and is the result of the liver becoming infected with the hepatitis A, hepatitis B, or hepatitis C viruses. Viral hepatitis of any type means that the function of the liver becomes compromised and is less able to perform its critical duties with storing nutrients, removing waste from the body, extracting expended cells from the blood, filtering and processing chemicals, and producing bile. Failure to do these effectively means viral hepatitis results in worsening overall health, and it is a contagious disease that can be spread from one person to another.
What Causes Viral Hepatitis?
Hepatitis A is caused by the person having exposure to contaminated food or drink, or coming into contact with another individual who already has the disease. Hepatitis B is caused by coming into contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person. Hepatitis C is caused by exposure to the HCV virus, and this is possible through a wider array of possibilities which makes Hepatitis C the most likely of all viral hepatitis infections.
Viral Hepatitis Symptoms
Viral hepatitis symptoms will vary based on the type of hepatitis disease, and may include fever, joint pain, diarrhea (hep A), dark urine, clay-colored stools, appetite loss, nausea, stomach pain, tiredness, vomiting, or yellowed eyes or skin (jaundice). For untreated hepatitis C there is the possibility of liver damage or scarring, or liver cancer. It is important to understand that hepatitis symptoms are often slow to present themselves, and so infected individual may not know they have the disease in its early stages.
Viral Hepatitis Treatment
Hepatitis A is much easier to recover from completely, and treatment for Hep A usually involves getting rest, improving diet, and increasing fluid intake. Hep B treatment involves the same protocol much of the time, but medication use is a possibility for chronic hepatitis B. The standard approach for viral hepatitis treatment when a person has Hep C is an 8-12 week course of treatment with medications like Sovaldi or Epclusa. Prompt treatment of hepatitis C needs to be a priority because of the risk of developing chronic liver disease.
