Infectious Hepatitis

Contagion
For water, food or contaminated objects.


Symptoms
 Jaundice, loss of appetite, fever with or without chills, back pain, joints and eyes, etc..


Control
Usual hygiene measures. Rest and proper diet to patients.

Hepatitis G

Hepatitis G is a recently discovered hepatitis (1995) and is caused by the HGV virus is estimated to be responsible for 0.3 percent of all viral hepatitis. Are unknown, yet all forms of possible contagion, but it is known that the disease is transmitted mainly through blood contact.
In analyzes performed in the United States of America to blood donors has been shown that about two percent have had contact with the virus. It is assumed that HGV is found in 20 to 30 percent of the intravenous drug users and ten percent of persons were subjected to blood transfusion. In approximately 20 percent of patients with infection by HBV or HCV is possible to detect antibodies to HGV, but this coinfection does not seem to influence the evolution of those hepatitis.
It was not yet possible to determine exactly? since the discovery of the disease and the virus that causes been recent?, the consequences of infection with hepatitis G. Acute infection is usually 'soft' and transient, and there are reports of doubtful cases of fulminant hepatitis (the experts have not reached a final conclusion about the causes of fulminant hepatitis).
Ninety to 100 percent of those infected become chronic carriers but may never suffer from liver disease. Until now it was not possible to prove that HGV infection leads to cases of cirrhosis or liver cancer.
Treatment
There is no treatment for hepatitis C, which is not too troublesome, since the virus does not cause liver injury, according to the studies disclosed so far.
Prevention
Although there are still no specific prevention measures, how the virus is transmitted by blood, should be taken special care in contact with blood and blood products. It is also advisable to use protection during sex and avoid sharing sharp objects, with special attention to injecting drug users or inhaled.

Alcoholic steatohepatitis (fatty liver disease, fatty liver)

Fat accumulation in the liver that occurs in various situations independent of alcohol consumption, such as obesity, malnutrition, prolonged intravenous nutrition, diabetes mellitus, abnormal blood fats (cholesterol or high triglycerides) and some medications.
Until the 1980s, it was believed that all with liver fat accumulation and signs of inflammation (hepatitis) was caused by alcohol consumption. This kind of change is so common in users of alcohol even though the patient denied consuming alcohol was still considered as if lying
In 1980, Ludwig and colleagues described with the name steatohepatitis nonalcoholic (nonalcoholoic steatohepatitis, NASH) a syndrome of obese and diabetic women who denied the use of alcohol, but had very similar changes in the liver of the alcoholic hepatitis, with enlargement of the liver, changes in laboratory tests and biopsies macrovesículas fat (steatosis hence the name, which comes from fat) in hepatocytes, necrosis (cell death), focal inflammation and lesions called corpuscles Mallory (findings hitherto considered characteristic of alcoholic hepatitis).

Call Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD or NAFLD, the English "nonalcoholic fatty liver disease") fat accumulation in the liver (steatosis) not related to alcohol use. The steatohepatitis non-alcoholic (NAFLD or NASH, the English "nonalcoholic steatohepatitis") is a NAFLD where the presence of steatosis is related to inflammation of the liver (hepatitis). Thus, hepatic steatosis ("fatty liver") and NASH are different presentations of NAFLD, the first of which can progress to the second. Cirrhosis of unknown cause (cryptogenic) where there is steatosis, but no signs of active NASH, NAFLD is also rated.
Treatment
It is recommended dietary restriction and the use of certain medications that help reduce the deposit of these metals.
Symptoms
Hepatic steatosis does not cause symptoms. Usually the diagnosis is made accidentally by imaging studies such as ultrasound or CT scans requested for other reasons.

Some patients with NAFLD complains of fatigue and heaviness in the right upper quadrant of the abdomen. There is no evidence, however, that these symptoms are related to the accumulation of fat in the liver. There are patients with advanced grade steatosis do not exhibit any symptoms.

What differentiates fat accumulation benign hepatic steatosis fat accumulation of harmful steatohepatitis hepatitis is the presence of inflammation in the liver. Both frameworks do not usually cause symptoms. Clinically it is impossible to distinguish them.

Importantly, through imaging also is not always possible to differentiate cases of steatosis, especially in advanced stage of steatohepatitis. The ultrasound, for example, can well be seen fat, but lacks sufficient sensitivity to confirm or rule out the presence of inflammation in the liver.

Imaging studies also fail to distinguish steatohepatitis from other causes of hepatitis. Therefore, a medical history, physical examination and laboratory tests are essential for patient assessment. A good medical evaluation can identify the cause of liver damage.

Laboratory tests used to assess the degree of liver injury by so called liver enzymes and other markers of liver disease, such as gamma. In hepatic steatosis, liver enzymes are normal, while in steatohepatitis no increase thereof.

Hepatitis causes hereditary

Hereditary diseases such as hemochromatosis and Wilson disease lead to an accumulation of iron and copper, respectively, in the liver, causing hepatitis.
Hemochromatosis occurs deposit of iron in the tissues due to its excess in the body. One of the main sites of deposit is the liver, which can cause hepatitis.

Wilson's disease is an autosomal recessive hereditary whose main characteristic is the toxic accumulation of copper in tissues, especially the brain and liver, which leads the bearer to manifest neuropsychiatric symptoms and liver disease.
Treatment
There is no cure for inherited diseases that affect the liver. Treatment depends on the disease. For example, treatment of hereditary hemochromatosis involves periodic phlebotomy to remove iron from the body. Wilson's disease is treated with diet and drugs copper (chelants) that eliminate cobre the body and prevent its absorption.
Laboratory tests
A family history of liver disease raises suspicion of an inherited disorder. Meet some useful tests:
• Screening of iron, such as serum iron - The binding capacity of iron and ferritin aid in the diagnosis of hemochromatosis.
• The level of alpha-1-antitripsinal shows the deficiency of the enzyme.
• Dosages of ceruloplasmin and copper are part of the investigation of Wilson's disease in which the blood concentration decreases and increases in ceruloplasmin copper.
• Genetic Testing - Some of these research mutations that can cause certain types of hepatitis. The analysis of mutations in the HFE gene, for example, aid the diagnosis of hemochromatosis.
• Liver biopsy - Microscopic examination of a sample of liver tissue helps in the diagnosis.

Autoimmune Hepatitis

Some diseases cause the chemical defenses of the individual (antibodies) causing inflammation and damage to the liver. It is not known why this happens.

Autoimmune hepatitis are caused by an auto body assault that makes antibodies that attack and kill the hepatocytes. This can happen because a bacterium, virus or fungus may contain a portion much like the liver cell, the immune system causing confusion. Treatment is with corticosteroids and immunosuppressive drugs. This form of hepatitis is more common in women, and has two age groups main involvement: between 10 and 30 years (young) and around 50 years (middle-aged).
Treatment
In autoimmune hepatitis, are used drugs called steroids that can reduce inflammation.
Prevention
It is not known until today forms prevention of autoimmune hepatitis, since it is not known how the disease occurs.