Common Liver Diseases

Hepatitis | Viral Hepatitis | Alcoholic liver disease | Liver cancer | Biliary disease | Other/metabolic diseases | Acute liver failure

Viral Hepatitis
What is viral hepatitis?

Viral Hepatitis is an inflammation of the iver caused by a virus infection. This results in liver cell damage and destruction.

Five main types of viruses causing Hepatitis have been identified:

Hepatitis A and Hepatitis E - These types of hepatitis are usually spread by fecal-oral contact which implies that contaminated drinking water is the main source of these infections.
The various modes of spread can be:

• Touching an infected person's stool
• Consuming food made by someone who touched infected stool
• Drinking water made dirty by infected stool
• Having anal sexual intercourse with an infected person

Hepatitis B and C

Hepatitis B

• There are 400 million carriers of Hepatitis B in the world
• 45 million of these are present in India. In other words, 1 in every 20 Indians is a Hepatitis B carrier
• Of these, 4 million persons carry highly infectious virus in their blood

Hepatitis B virus infection is totally preventable as a safe and highly effective vaccine is easily available

Hepatitis C

• 1-2 % of Indian population suffers from Hepatitis C - About 20 million infected
• Once acquired, there is 80% chance of developing chronic disease
• Unlike Hepatitis B, no effective vaccine is available for its prevention.

Both Hepatitis B and C spread mainly through:

• Contaminated blood and blood products
• Sexual contact: especially with multiple partners. Although Hepatitis B can be transmitted between husband and wife, risk of transmission of Hepatitis C is very low in monogamous relationships.
• In addition, people with alcoholic liver disease may also contract Hepatitis C.

Hepatitis D - This form occurs together with Hepatitis B, making the Hepatitis B infection worse.

Hepatitis viruses A and E cause only Acute Hepatitis.

On the other hand, Hepatitis viruses B (with or without D) and C in addition to acute hepatitis, can result in chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, liver cancer, liver failure, and death.