ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

What Is Hepatitis?

Updated on November 24, 2014

What is Hepatitis?

Hepatitis simply means inflammation of the liver. Untreated, some forms of hepatitis can lead to liver damage that impairs the ability of the liver to function normally. The liver is the largest organ in the human body and weighs, on average, about 3-1/2 pounds.

Your liver is very important and performs a variety of functions including:

  • Secreting bile necessary for proper digestion and elimination of some wastes
  • Manufacturing of important proteins
  • Detoxification of alcohol and certain medicines

Viral hepatitis is the leading cause of liver cancer. The CDC estimates that over 4.4 million Americans may have Hepatitis, although many do not know it since it often takes many years before symptoms arise. There are approximately 80,000 new Hepatitis infections ever year.

What Causes Hepatitis?

There are many potential causes for hepatitis. The most common causes however are:

  • Alcohol abuse
  • Viral Hepatitis
  • Certain drugs

HEPATITIS DUE TO VIRUSES:

Since viral hepatitis can be caused by several different viruses, I will briefly explain the 5 different types of viral hepatitis:

Hepatitis A virus (HAV) is typically spread in areas of poor hygiene and may also be spread through contaminated water or food (including raw shellfish). Ever seen signs like the one above in restaurants? The reason for these signs (aside from the obvious "yuck" factor) is to prevent the spread of, amongst other things, Hepatitis A. This virus is the most common cause of Hepatitis

Hepatitis B (HBV) virus is the second greatest cause of all viral hepatitis cases. It is typically contracted by contact with infected blood, sharing of infected needles and sexual contact. Hepatitis B can be transmitted from mother to child during birth. Hepatitis B may resolve on its own, or it may turn in to chronic Hepatitis. Hepatitis B virus is a DNA virus, all other forms are RNA viruses. Only about 1% of Hepatitis B cases are fatal

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is primarily contracted through shared hypodermic needles, but also through the use of contaminated instruments during tatoos and body piercings. Sexual transmission is rare.

Hepatitis D virus (HDV) can only affect patients who also have Hepatitis B. Parenteral drug users are at greatest risk.

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is typically spread by fecal contamination of a water supply. Like Hepatitis A, it is not a chronic condition, and does not cause cirrhosis of the liver.


Treatments for Hepatitis B & C

As a pharmacist I am writing this article especially to introduce patients to the medications available to treat hepatitis. Therefore I will now list the most common medications used to treat both chronic Hepatitis B & C.

HEPATITIS B DRUG TREATMENTS:

Acute Hepatitis B may need no treatment and may resolve on its own (just like a cold or the flu). Chronic Hepatitis B may be treated with medications. Note: These drugs cannot cure Hepatitis B, but will help reduce the replication of the virus and thus improve the patient outcome and reduce the possibility of spreading the virus.

Prescription medication for Hepatitis B include:

  • Baraclude (entecavir, by Bristol Myers Squibb)
  • Epivir HBV (lamivudine, by GlaxoSmithKline)
  • Hepsera (adefovir dipivoxil, by Gilead Sciences)
  • Tyzeka (Telbivudine, by Novartis)

Prevention: Hepatits B can be prevented with a vaccine. Available forms of the Hepaitis B vaccine include Engerix-B and Recombivax-HB.

HEPATITS C DRUG TREATMENTS:

Unlike Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C can be cured (what is often referred to as a sustained viral response).

Current therapies for Hepatitis C often include combinations of 2 or more of the following prescription drugs:

1. Interferons: Interferons stimulate our own natural anti-viral response to the Hepatitis C virus. These are injectable drugs, often administered weekly for 6-12 months. Examples of available interferons include Pegasys and Peg-Intron.

2. Ribavirin: Often combined with interferon therapy, ribavirin is an anti-viral product used to treat Hepatitis C. Ribavirn products are taken orally, usually twice a day for the course of therapy (24-48 weeks). Examples of available ribavirin prescription products are Copegus, Rebetol, Ribapak, Ribasphere, Ribatab and generic ribavirin.

3. Incivek: Introduced in 2011 by Vertex pharmaceuticals, Incivek (telapevir) offers new hope for a complete cure for Hepatitis C patients. Incivek is taken with a course of interferon and ribavirin, usually 3 times daily. Side effects may include itching, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea.

4. Newer Treatments: Lately a variety of newer drug therapy options have entered the market and are very effective for the treatment of Hepatitis C. These include drugs such as Sovaldi, Olysio and Harvoni.

5. Vitrelis (boceprevir): As with Incivek, this product (from Merck) is intended for use with interferon and ribavirin therapy.

This article has been just a brief introduction to Hepatitis. The information provided should help you answer the question: "What is Hepatitis?" and be somewhat more knowledgeable about this disease and some of the treatment options available. The information provided in this article is not intended to replace any information you have received from your own health care practitioner.

working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)