Hepatitis Overview | HealthInfi

Overview

You’ve probably heard warnings about hepatitis, a category of viral infections that can cause serious liver damage and even lead to death. Hepatitis literally means inflammation of the liver (hepa = liver; it is = inflammation).

If you’re having trouble keeping up with the alphabet soup of the types of the hepatitis virus you’re not alone. There are five main types: A, B, C, D and E. In the United States, the most common forms of hepatitis are hepatitis A, hepatitis B and hepatitis C.

All of the hepatitis viruses can cause acute hepatitis, which, in adults, usually resolves on its own over time. In contrast, the hepatitis B and C viruses may not go away and may evolve to a chronic ongoing infection. Although acute hepatitis, regardless of the type of virus, is often not associated with any symptoms, if there are symptoms, the main ones are:

• jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes)
• fatigue or malaise
• abdominal pain
• appetite loss
• nausea
• diarrhea
• vomiting

The good news is that there are vaccines against hepatitis A and hepatitis B. The vaccines are safe and effective. People who develop antibody in response to vaccination are protected from both acute and chronic hepatitis if they experience an exposure to these viruses after vaccination. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that all children be vaccinated against hepatitis B at birth. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends that “at-risk” infants, or infants of parents requesting vaccination, undergo hepatitis A vaccination at age.

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