Most people already know that hepatitis is a serious disease of the liver, but keeping track of its various incarnations may not be so clear. It is easy to be confused about the forms the disease takes, how to guard against them and whether a vaccine is available.
The word hepatitis actually refers to inflammation of the liver, but what we most often hear about is one of the specific viral forms of the disease. In that case, we are actually talking about infectious hepatitis that is caused by a virus, indeed, three different ones. Hepatitis A, B and C are all found in North America, but other viral forms, D and E, also exist though they are found mostly in the developing world. Viral hepatitis are distinct diseases that affect the liver. They have different symptoms and treatments.
There are also non-infectious forms of hepatitis caused by toxic substances such as alcohol, the excessive use of some medications such as acetaminophen and even some herbal dietary supplements.
Exposure to a hepatitis virus can lead to serious infection with symptoms that range from fever and nausea to abdominal pain, diarrhea and jaundice. These may last up to two months, or there may be no identifiable symptoms. Symptoms or not, an infected person may still be spreading the virus.
Vaccines exist for both hepatitis A and B, but not for C. All children should be vaccinated, as should anyone travelling to areas of the world where hepatitis is more prevalent, including Latin America, Africa and Southeast Asia. Ideally, everybody should be vaccinated against both hep A and B.
Hepatitis A is spread by contact with fecal matter from an infected person, often via contaminated food or water contacted by a restaurant or agricultural worker, or when contaminated by raw sewage. This form of the disease usually goes away on its own and most people get well within a few months. You can only get the hep A virus once. After that, your body builds up a defense against it.
Hepatitis B is actually more infectious than HIV and is spread through contact with infected blood or bodily fluids. Adults who get it may have it for a short time (acute) or long-term (chronic) and most will have no symptoms. Visible or not, there may be serious damage to the liver. Hep B vaccine provides the best prevention.
There is no vaccine against hepatitis C and because it causes few symptoms, most people don’t know they are infected, nor that they are spreading the virus. Hep C is common around the world and is spread through contaminated blood. Three-quarters or more of people who have it develop a long-term infection called chronic hepatitis C, which can lead to conditions like liver cancer and cirrhosis (scarring) of the liver. This is one of the top reasons people get liver transplants.
Prevention is always the best strategy. There are some simple steps that can help: hand washing after using the toilet or changing a baby and before handling food; using condoms to significantly reduce the chance of hep B and C; never sharing unsterilized needles for any purpose including for piercings or a tattoo.
There is a wealth of information available about hepatitis. A good place to start is the Canadian Liver Foundation at liver.ca
