Viral hepatitis or liver inflammation, are caused by
viruses that are generally type A, B, C, D and E. Types B and C are the main
causers of liver cirrhosis and liver cancer out of all the different branches
of Hepatitis.
According to the World Health Organisation (OMS) there
are four hundred million people infected in the world with half of those people
not even aware of its presence.
HEPATITIS A and E.
It is commonly suffered by children and adolescents
and presents itself in the form of epidemics as it is transmitted through
contaminated food and water. It presents itself with vomiting, abdominal pain,
fever, yellow discoloration of the mucus membranes or jaundice, dark urine and
discoloured faeces in the majority of cases; although it sometimes does not
show any symptoms and solves itself without any scars creating permanent
immunity.
HEPATITIS B.
It is transmitted through unprotected sexual
intercourse, blood (through transfusion or substance abuse) and from mothers to
children during the pregnancy or birth. No symptoms are present in the majority
of cases.
90% of cases solve themselves, however the remaining
10% turn into chronic cases that can lead to liver cancer without a previous
stage of cirrhosis.
Its treatment is through antivirals. There is a
vaccine available for this type of Hepatitis and it is present in the vaccination
calendar of the majority of countries.
HEPATITIS C.
It is a type of Hepatitis that it is silent in the majority
of cases. A quick diagnosis and effective administration of the treatment that are
at our current disposal will prevent this type of Hepatitis from reaching the
last stages of Cirrhosis and Liver cancer.
The Hepatitis C virus was discovered towards the end
of the 1980s, therefore every person that received a blood transfusion prior to
this date has to have a blood test to detect the presence of this virus. The
latency of this pathology, which can last up to twenty years, and its lack of
symptoms make it one of the diseases that we should be keeping a close eye on,
especially if we have or have had any risk factors in the past.
Even though blood transfusions were the primary method
of contagion prior to 1992, the placement of piercings and tattoos in unsterilized
places is now the major source of transmission. The use of shared needles in
drug abuse is also one of the most frequent ways of transmitting this disease.
DIAGNOSIS.
The elevation of the hepatic transaminases and
consequently the detection of antibodies and viral load counts will lead us to
a diagnosis.
If only everybody could have access to an accurate
diagnosis, the vaccine for Hepatitis B and to the treatment for Hepatitis C.
Dr J. Hurtado Martínez
Medical Director of HealthSalus
Medical Director of HealthSalus
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