What Is Hepatitis?

A person may catch hepatitis and recover from it, not even knowing about it. A person may live with chronic form of hepatitis many years and discover it when the disease is on cirrhosis stage.

What viruses cause hepatitis?

Viruses A and E may cause acute hepatitis called “the disease of dirty hands” because people often get infection while traveling in the African and Asian countries. Viruses B, C, D may be agents of chronic hepatitis. Those viruses are transmitted via blood or during unprotected sex. In some cases chronic viral hepatitis after 10-30 years may lead to cirrhosis or liver cancer.

What are hepatitis symptoms?Acute hepatitis has the same symptoms as simple cold with food infection symptoms। In case yellow plague is not developed, people often recover successfully without knowing what disease they had। So acute hepatitis C in 95% of cases is unnoticed and hepatitis B is unnoticed in 70%. The main symptom showing chronic form of disease is constant fatigue.

Who and when should make tests for hepatitis?
# patients with chronic kidney failure who are on hemodialysis
# persons after operations and endoscopic procedures
# spouses and children of persons with hepatitis
# if the blood biochemical test shows liver damage
# drug addicts
# after unprotected sexual intercourse
# after making tattoo, piercing, manicure or pedicure in salon
# after visiting countries with high prevalence of hepatitis: South-East Asia, Central Africa

What tests should be made at the first suspicion?

To detect hepatitis, biochemical test of blood is made. This test is cheap, informative and available in most laboratories. The most important indicators for the diagnosis of hepatitis is the level of enzymes SPGT (alanine aminotransferase) and ACT (aspartate aminotransferase). In case they are out of normal level then it means the patient has hepatitis. Then the next step is to go to gastroenterologist and infectiologist that do specialize on hepatitis.

How to check for hepatitis B and C?

The most rational way is to do a blood test on the most important markers of chronic hepatitis B and C. In case were found HbsAg (membrane antigen of B virus) and antibodies to to hepatitis C virus, you should go to the doctor. He will say if it is necessary or not to make other tests to detect virus antigens. Such profound examinations are made in special laboratories. You may at once make blood test for RNA and DNA of viruses B and C. If they will be detected then you should anyway make antigen and antibodies test in order to find the best treatment.