Viral hepatitis is a dangerous infectious disease in which inflammation of the liver tissue occurs. There are different types of pathogens of viral hepatitis, some of which have been studied well, while others remain unidentified.
Types of viral hepatitis and transmission routes
Hepatitis viruses are denoted by the letters of the Latin alphabet. To date, the most common are hepatitis A, B, C, D, E, F, G. These are various independent forms of the disease that have their own characteristics and ways of transmission.
All the viral hepatitis studied so far are divided into two main groups, differing in the way they are infected:
- Enteral viral hepatitis (intestinal infections) - characterized by fecal-oral transmission (ingestion of the virus into the body with water or food contaminated with contaminated fecal material). This group includes hepatitis A and E.
- Parenteral viral hepatitis (blood infections) - infection occurs through the blood and other body fluids of the infected person (saliva, breast milk, urine, semen, etc.). The most famous representatives of this group are hepatitis B, C, D, F, G.
Viral hepatitis can occur in acute or chronic form. Acute viral hepatitis is quite easy to treat, and chronic it is almost impossible to cure completely.
To a greater extent, the risk of infection with viral hepatitis is susceptible to:
- medical and other workers whose activities are associated with constant contact with blood, its preparations and other biological fluids;
- persons who often undergo medical manipulations and interventions (especially blood transfusions);
- drug addicts;
- persons who have frequent uncontrolled sex.
Signs of viral hepatitis
Regardless of the form of the disease, viral hepatitis has similar common symptoms:
- dyspeptic disorders (nausea, vomiting, belching, bitterness in the mouth , loss of appetite);
- general malaise (sometimes the onset of viral hepatitis resembles influenza - there is a rise in body temperature, headache, body aches);
- pain in the right hypochondrium (prolonged, paroxysmal, aching, obtuse, giving to the right shoulder blade or shoulder);
- jaundice - yellowing of the skin and mucous membranes (but there are also jaundiced forms of hepatitis);
- darkening of urine, fecal discoloration;
- itching.
To diagnose, determine the type of pathogen can be by using a blood test for viral hepatitis.