What are Hepatitis A, B and C

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Admin
May 07, 2024
Disease Management & Precautions

Deaths from hepatitis in India amount to more than 2.5 lakh people and is taking on more dangerous proportions than HIV/Aids. According to a WHO report infected syringe needles are responsible for more than 10 lakh deaths worldwide.

What is Hepatitis?

Hepatitis is a disease of the liver and it has no one particular symptom. There are different types of hepatitis

Hepatitis A is caused by contaminated food and water

Hepatitis B, C. and D are caused by HBV, HCV and HDV viruses respectively which cause liver enlargement.

Hepatitis E is caused by HEV virus in contaminated water

Reasons for hepatitis

In India there is very little awareness about medical hygiene and this leads to spread of the disease. One of the biggest reasons for hepatitis is the use of infected syringe needles. The population in villages is particularly vulnerable as quacks practising in villages do not have any scruples about using the same syringe and needle on more than one patient. Besides infected syringe needles, unprotected sex, infected blood are other reasons that lead to hepatitis.

Common symptoms of hepatitis

· Repeated bouts of fever

· Muscular pain and fatigue

· Nausea and vomiting

· Enlarged liver

· Blood deficiency

· Swelling in the stomach and feet

If a person suffers from fever for more than a week then it is advisable to undergo tests for hepatitis. Chronic hepatitis can even lead to liver cancer.

Detection and cure

Hepatitis B virus can cause 50 to 100 times more damage than HIV virus. Vaccine is available for the prevention of Hepatitis B. The disease is detected via a blood test and appropriate medicines are available for cure especially in early stages. However, this kind of hepatitis can remain undetected for six months.

Hepatitis A is the least dangerous but it is infectious and can spread to others.

Hepatitis C should not be taken lightly. This disease can enter the liver without warning and become dangerous. This is caused by transfusion of infected blood or having an intimate physical relationship with a person suffering from hepatitis C. If one person in the family suffers from this kind of hepatitis it can spread to others. If the disease is detected in the early stages then there are 95% chances of recovery.

Treatment

It is very important to detect hepatitis and begin treatment at the earliest as this prevents damage to the liver. Old patients of hepatitis B are treated with antiviral medicines which reduce or remove the virus from the blood. This also helps to prevent cirrhosis of the liver and reduces risk of liver cancer. There is no treatment for hepatitis D.

There are a number of herbs that are used to cure liver problems in Ayurveda like country gooseberry (bhumi amla), chicory herb ( kasni) creat or king of bitters (kalmegh) spreading hogweed (punarnava) which are given under doctor’s prescription. With the help of these medications hepatitis A, B, and C can be cured as these herbs help to regenerate liver cells.