What Is Hepatitis?
The word Hepatitis means Inflammation of the liver. Hepatitis is a viral infection and there are 3 different types of it. Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Hepatitis D, and Hepatitis E. Hepatitis D and E are rare in the United States so people rarely hear about cases of D and E.
Hepatitis A (Hav)Hepatitis A is a viral infection that is spread through feces of infected people. People usually get infected by eating food or drinking water that has been covered with feces. For as bad as that sounds, Hepatitis A is less harmful than the other Hepatitis Viruses. Once a person gets Hepatitis A, the symptoms of the infection will be gone within a few weeks. After the symptoms start going away the infection will start leaving the body and that person will probably not get HAV again. If you have hepatitis A you probably will not see any symptoms which mean Hepatitis A can go undiagnosed. You can keep yourself from getting Hepatitis A by getting a vaccination for it.
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Hepatitis B (hbv)Hepatitis B is a more serious infection than Hepatitis A. HBV may lead to a condition called Cirrhosis. Cirrhosis comes from from chronic liver diseases (such as Hepatitis) and it causes scarring.
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Hepatitis C (hCV) |
Symptoms of the hepatitis virus
If your body is starting to get the Hepatitis virus, you will notice symptoms such as...
- Yellowing of the skin and eyes, known as Jaundice
- Fever
- Nausea, vomiting, and lack of appetite
- Abdominal pain (on the upper right side)
- Light-colored bowel movements
- Dark-colored urine
- Yellowing of the skin and eyes, known as Jaundice
- Fever
- Nausea, vomiting, and lack of appetite
- Abdominal pain (on the upper right side)
- Light-colored bowel movements
- Dark-colored urine
Staying safe
In addition to getting the vaccination for the Hepatitis versus, here are some other ways you an stay safe from the virus.
- Don't have unprotected sex
- Avoid intravenous drug use and sharing drug paraphernalia
- Wash your hands before using before handling food and after using the bathroom
- Be sure tattoo or piercing shops sterilize needles and other equipment properly
- Don't share toothbrushes or razors. Hepatitis can also be transferred through sores and cuts
- Avoid eating raw shellfish (such as clams or oysters). You could put yourself at risk of Hepatitis A the Shellfish was harvested from contaminated water
- Don't have unprotected sex
- Avoid intravenous drug use and sharing drug paraphernalia
- Wash your hands before using before handling food and after using the bathroom
- Be sure tattoo or piercing shops sterilize needles and other equipment properly
- Don't share toothbrushes or razors. Hepatitis can also be transferred through sores and cuts
- Avoid eating raw shellfish (such as clams or oysters). You could put yourself at risk of Hepatitis A the Shellfish was harvested from contaminated water