User:Mr. Ibrahem/Hepatitis
An inflammation of the liver. / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver tissue.[3] Some people with hepatitis have no symptoms, whereas others develop yellow discoloration of the skin and whites of the eyes (jaundice), poor appetite, vomiting, tiredness, abdominal pain, and diarrhea.[1][2] Hepatitis is acute if it resolves within six months, and chronic if it lasts longer than six months.[1][5] Acute hepatitis can resolve on its own, progress to chronic hepatitis, or (rarely) result in acute liver failure.[6] Chronic hepatitis may progress to scarring of the liver (cirrhosis), liver failure, and liver cancer.[3]
Hepatitis | |
---|---|
Alcoholic hepatitis as seen with a microscope, showing fatty changes (white circles), remnants of dead liver cells, and Mallory bodies (twisted-rope shaped inclusions within some liver cells). (H&E stain) | |
Specialty | Infectious disease, gastroenterology, hepatology |
Symptoms | Yellowish skin, poor appetite, abdominal pain[1][2] |
Complications | Scarring of the liver, liver failure, liver cancer[3] |
Duration | Short term or long term[1] |
Causes | Viruses, alcohol, toxins, autoimmune[2][3] |
Prevention | Vaccination (for viral hepatitis),[2] avoiding excessive alcohol |
Treatment | Medication, liver transplant[1][4] |
Frequency | > 500 million cases[3] |
Deaths | > One million a year[3] |
Hepatitis is most commonly caused by the viruses hepatitis A, B, C, D, and E.[3][2] Other causes include heavy alcohol use, certain medications, toxins, other infections, autoimmune diseases,[2][3] and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).[7] Hepatitis A and E are mainly spread by contaminated food and water.[3] Hepatitis B is mainly sexually transmitted, but may also be passed from mother to baby during pregnancy or childbirth and spread through infected blood.[3] Hepatitis C is commonly spread through infected blood such as may occur during needle sharing by intravenous drug users.[3] Hepatitis D can only infect people already infected with hepatitis B.[3]
Hepatitis A, B, and D are preventable with immunization.[2] Medications may be used to treat chronic viral hepatitis.[1] Antiviral medications are recommended in all with chronic hepatitis C, except those with conditions that limit their life expectancy.[8] There is no specific treatment for NASH; however, physical activity, a healthy diet, and weight loss are recommended.[7] Autoimmune hepatitis may be treated with medications to suppress the immune system.[9] A liver transplant may be an option in both acute and chronic liver failure.[4]
Worldwide in 2015, hepatitis A occurred in about 114 million people, chronic hepatitis B affected about 343 million people and chronic hepatitis C about 142 million people.[10] In the United States, NASH affects about 11 million people and alcoholic hepatitis affects about 5 million people.[7][11] Hepatitis results in more than a million deaths a year, most of which occur indirectly from liver scarring or liver cancer.[3][12] In the United States, hepatitis A is estimated to occur in about 2,500 people a year and results in about 75 deaths.[13] The word is derived from the Greek hêpar (ἧπαρ), meaning "liver", and -itis (-ῖτις), meaning "inflammation".[14]