HEPATITIS.
WHAT IS HEPATITIS?
• Hepatitis is the
inflammation of the liver
caused by viruses,
bacterial infections, or
continuous exposure to
alcohol, drugs, or toxic
chemicals, such as those
found in aerosol sprays
and paint thinners.
OTHER FACTS ABOUT HEPATITIS A.
• Hepatitis can also result from an autoimmune
disorder, in which the body mistakenly sends
disease-fighting cells to attack its own healthy
tissue, in this case the liver.
• No matter what its cause, hepatitis reduces the
liver’s ability to perform life-preserving functions,
including filtering harmful infectious agents from
the blood, storing blood sugar and converting it
to usable energy forms, and producing many
proteins necessary for life.
CHRONIC HEPATITIS.
• Chronic hepatitis causes
slowly progressive liver
damage that may lead
to cirrhosis, a condition
in which healthy liver
tissue is replaced with
dead, non functional
scar tissue. In some
cases, cancer of the liver
develops.
TYPES OF HEPATITIS.
HEPATITIS A VIRUS(HAV).
• Hepatitis A virus (HAV) lives
in faeces in the intestinal
tract.
• It is spread when infected
individuals do not wash
their hands after using the
toilet and then handle food,
or when a person changes
an infected infant’s diapers
and then handles food
before washing his or her
hands
• I.P – 2 – 6 weeks after
infection.
• It is an acute condition.
ESTIMATED VALUE OF (HAV).
• Experts estimate that more than 50,000 people
are infected with hepatitis A in the United States
each year.
• Individuals with hepatitis A can spread the
disease to others as early as two weeks before
symptoms appear.
• In addition to the general hepatitis symptoms,
such as nausea, fatigue, and jaundice, hepatitis A
may also cause diarrhoea.
HEPATITIS A TREATMENT.
• There is no treatment for hepatitis A.
• Most people will recover on their own
without any serious after effects, although a
few severe cases may require a liver
transplant.
HEPATITIS B VIRUS (HBV).
• HBV is transmitted
from person to person
through unprotected
sexual intercourse with
an infected person, or
through the sharing of
infected needles or
other sharp
instruments that break
the skin.
• I.P. – 4 – 25 weeks
ESTIMATED VALUE OF (HBV).
• Experts estimate that there are more than
70,000 new hepatitis B infections every year in
the United States.
• Drugs used in the treatment of hepatitis B include
adenoviral dipivoxil, interferon alfa-2b, pegylated
interferon alfa-2a, lamivudine, and entecavir.
• Liver transplants may be beneficial to infected
patients, but the virus remains in the body after
transplantation surgery and may eventually
attack the new liver.
Pictures of the after-math of HBV.
HEPATITIS C VIRUS (HCV).
• HCV is transmitted
primarily by direct
blood contact via
blood transfusion and
contaminated needles.
• Less common ways
are: sexual contact,
from mother to child
at birth.
• I.P. – 5 – 10 weeks.
OTHER FACTS ABOUT (HCV).
• According to the Centres for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC), anyone who received a blood
transfusion prior to 1992, before an accurate
routine blood screening was established, may be
infected with this virus.
• HCV can also be spread through the sharing of
toothbrushes, razors, and contaminated needles
with an infected person; through unprotected sex
with an infected person; and from mother to
child during childbirth.
ESTIMATED VALUE OF (HCV).
• An estimated 30,000 cases of hepatitis C develop each
year, and although some resolve spontaneously, 55 to
85 percent of all cases progress to chronic hepatitis.
• Most of the 3.9 million people with chronic hepatitis C
in the United States do not look sick and may not even
know they are infected.
• In 1998, a new combination of drugs was approved to
treat hepatitis C.
• The therapy, a combination of interferon and the
antiviral drug ribavirin, is currently the treatment of
choice and rids the body of the virus in 40 to 80
percent of cases.
HEPATITIS D VIRUS (HDV).
• HDV is a parasite of HBV, using the B virus to
reproduce itself and survive in the body. Only
those infected with HBV are easily susceptible
to HDV infection.
• Found mainly in intravenous drug users who
are carriers of hepatitis B virus.
HEPATITIS E VIRUS (HEV).
• Hepatitis E virus (HEV) lives in faeces and is
transmitted through contaminated food or
water. Hepatitis E is found primarily in
countries with poor sanitation.
ALCOHOLIC HEPATITIS.
• Is the most common cause of cirrhosis.
• While it may not develop in many patients
until several decades of alcohol abuse, it
appears in a few individuals within a year after
onset of excessive drinking.
TOXIC/DRUG-INDUCED HEPATITIS.
• Is caused after inhalation or ingestion of a
toxin such as CCl4, Vinyl chloride, poisonous
mushroom
• Several widely used drugs can produce an
adverse liver reaction; PCM, AntiTB,
Methyldop, etc.
GRANULOMATOUS HEPATITIS
• Is a condition in which abnormal collection of
white blood cells collect in the liver.
NOTE.
• There are currently no vaccines available to
prevent infection with HCV and HEV.
• The best protection against these viruses is to
avoid high-risk activities, including preventing
exposure to body fluids of infected individuals,
and always washing hands after using the
toilet or changing an infant’s diapers.
DIAGNOSIS FOR HEPATITIS.
• If the diagnostic symptoms
of hepatitis—including an
enlarged and tender liver,
jaundice, and fatigue—are
present, a physician may
order tests to evaluate liver
function, such as a blood
test for excess levels of the
bile pigments that cause
jaundice.
DIAGNOSIS.
• If liver malfunction is confirmed, the doctor
may perform an ultrasound examination to
exclude the possibility of gallstones or cancer.
• The doctor may take the patient’s medical
history and ask about recent high-risk
activities to further isolate possible viral or
chemical causes.
DIAGNOSIS.
• When the probable cause has been identified,
the doctor may order specific laboratory blood
tests to distinguish between different forms of
hepatitis.
• The doctor may also order a liver biopsy, a
procedure in which small samples of the
diseased liver tissue are examined under a
microscope to determine the extent of the
liver damage.
SYMPTOMS of HEPATITS.
• Hepatitis produces an initial “acute phase” often with
few if any symptoms. If there are symptoms, they tend
to mimic “flu-like” symptoms such as:
• Mild fever
• Muscle or joint aches
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Loss of appetite
• Slight abdominal pain
• Diarrhoea
• Fatigue
ACUTE PHASE OF HEPATITIS.
• The acute phase and its symptoms is rarely
serious, or fatal, although occasionally a socalled fulmmant or rapidly progressing form
lead to death.
WORSENED PHASE CONDITION.
• As the condition worsens, the person also may
experience these additional symptoms:
• Jaundice
• Dark urine
• Light-coloured stool that may contain pus
• Itching
• Enlarged spleen (alcohol)
• Headaches (toxic/drug)
• Dizziness (toxic / drug)
• Drowsiness (toxic / drug)
• Circulatory problem (toxic / drug)
TREATMENT.
• Hepatitis A
• There is no specific treatment.
• Abstinence from alcohol and drugs during recovery.
• Most cases of Hep. A resolve themselves spontaneously.
• Hepatitis B
• Rest combined with a high protein / high carbohydrate diet
to repair damaged liver cell and protect the liver.
• Antiviral agent – interferon is it persists.
• Hepatitis C
• Interferon alfa-2b (intron A)
NON-VIRAL.
• Removal of harmful substance by flushing out
of stomach via inducing vomiting.
• Corticosteroid for some drug-induced
hepatitis.
PREVENTION OF HEPATITIS.
• To PREVENT HEPATITIS A
• Wash hands well.
• Eat only freshly cooked food.
• Drink only commercially bottled water or
boiled water in places where sanitation and
the water supply are questionable.
• Wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly.
• Get a Hepatitis A vaccination before travelling
to areas that are endemic of Hepatitis.
TO PREVENT HEPATITIS B
• Tell your sex partners if you are carrier.
• Practice safe sex.
• Don’t share needles, razors, toothbrushes,
manicure, tools or other items that could bear
contaminated blood.
• Get the Hepatitis B vaccination series if you
are at risk.
• Don’t allow yourself to be pierced with nonsterile equipment.
TO PREVENT HEPATITIS C
• (If carrier) cover open wounds, don’t share
razors or manicure tools.
• Practice safe sex.
• Don’t allow yourself to be pierced with nonsterile equipment.
• Limit alcohol intake.
• Never share I.V. drug needles or other drug
equipment.
TO PREVENT HEPATITIS D
• Since Hep. D virus cannot infect on its own
without hep. B, use the preventive measure
above.
TO PREVENT HEPATITIS E
• Wash hands well after using toilet.
• Eat only well and freshly cooked food.
• Drink only clean water / boiled water.
TO PREVENT ALCOHOLIC HEPATITIS
• Limit the amount of alcohol consumption.
TO PREVENT TOXIC/DRUG INDUCED
HEPATITIS.
• Be aware of the lethal contents of all
chemicals; face the spray away from the body;
wear protective equipment (if applicable).
THANK YOU