Hepatitis A, B or C?
Hepatitis is a viral disease that affects the liver leading to swelling and inflammation. Hepatitis can have short term or long term affects depending on the strain. Today I will take about the most common strains Hepatitis A, B, and C.
Hepatitis A is a disease that has a short duration. Hepatitis is transferred from food or water that is contaminated with the virus. It can also be transferred if you come in contact with a person’s bowel movement like in a daycare setting or an elderly facility. Hepatitis can be caught if you travel outside of the United States to places that do not great sewage methods. Symptoms to look for are fatigue, loss of appetite, itching anywhere in the body, low-grade fever, nausea and vomiting and yellow skin and dark urine. Diagnosis is made through blood test looking for elevated liver enzymes and antibodies to hepatitis A. Since this is a self-limiting disease process the patient symptoms usually resolve in within 3-6 months after expose to the virus.
Hepatitis B virus can be spread through bodily fluids like semen, vaginal fluids or body. People that work in health care setting, unprotected sex or sharing an infected needle with an infected person are routes of transmission. Hepatitis B can be either short term or long-term condition. The short-term condition
The hepatitis B virus spreads through blood, semen, vaginal fluids, and other body fluids. Symptoms start one to six months after the infection and in the short-term condition are quite similar to hepatitis A but also include muscle and joint aches. Children are more likely to develop chronic hepatitis than adults. Diagnosis can be found through blood test albumin, liver function and prothrombin time test, antibody to hepatitis B.
Hepatitis C is a chronic liver condition spread by hepatitis C virus. It can be passed through sexual contact or bodily fluids like blood. This would include long-term dialysis, sharing needles, infected blood during a transfusion, passing blood during delivery, or working with blood work. People who have contracted hepatitis C may not exhibit any symptoms for many years.
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