Hepatitis is a disease characterized by the inflammation of the liver usually caused by an acute viral infection or toxin that causes the liver to swell and become irritated. There is big chance that a patient with hepatitis will not feel any symptom at all but will still be infected.
Symptoms of Hepatitis A
The symptoms for the different types of Hepatitis are almost the same except for some varying factors. For Hepatitis C, urine tends to be darker in color like that of cola or tea and the feces become grayish and clay in color. Likewise, at the onset of Hepatitis C, the disease normally does not produce any sign or symptom. The usual signs include slight fatigue, nausea or poor appetite, muscle and joint pains and tenderness in the area of the liver.
Treatment of Hepatitis
The treatment of hepatitis varies depending on the type and severity of the disease. Prevention is the only key to avoid hepatitis A. Normally, patients will undergo vaccination to make sure that no virus will enter your liver. A blood test is needed before administering vaccination to make sure if an antibody to the virus is already present. Abstaining from alcohol and drugs during recovery is important.
Hepatitis B patients are administered with pegylated interferon-alpha, a drug that is taken in the form of injection. Oral medications are also given to suppress the virus. Examples are Epivir, Hepsera, and Baraclude. To avoid infecting newborn babies, they are vaccinated and administered hepatitis B immune globulin. Aside from the medications, patients are advised to maintain a high protein/high carbohydrate diet to help repair and protect the damaged liver.
The well-known medication for hepatitis C patients is a drug combination of pegylated interferon and ribavirin. This treatment is actually a form of chemotherapy and varies depending on the health situation of the patient. HCV treatments help remove the virus from your bloodstream. The success of the treatment depends on the type of infection. Meanwhile, for patients with end-stage liver disease, the best treatment would be a liver transplant.
The type of treatment for hepatitis will all depend on the type of hepatitis that you have. Fortunately, patients with hepatitis A usually recover without any treatments.