An Introduction of Hepatitis: Protect Your Liver to Live Longer

Hepatitis is the general term for liver inflammation, which is usually caused by many pathogenic factors. There are two types, one is non-viral hepatitis, which mainly includes hepatitis, liver disease, and ; the other is viral hepatitis, which is divided into five types of A, B, C, D, E.

Hepatitis B and C infections are the most common causes of liver cirrhosis and liver cancer, which lead to chronic liver disease in hundreds of millions of people, and cause more than one million deaths each year. Without any treatment intervention, hepatitis may progress to liver cancer, the mortality rate of which is extremely high. Nowadays, medical technology continues to advance, and prevention or even blocking can be realized at every stage of this disease. Therefore, to prevent liver cancer, the control of hepatitis is a fundamental step.

1. Symptoms of Hepatitis

Some people with hepatitis do not have symptoms and do not know they are infected. If one does have symptoms, they may include

a. Poor digestion

The liver is an important organ that secretes bile and is responsible for digestion. People with poor liver function have worse digestive functions than normal people, and may have symptoms such as loss of appetite, nausea, and vomiting.

b. Poor hormone metabolism

Humans with poor liver function have abnormal hormone metabolism, manifested as low sex drive, blood vessels, spider angioma, and so on.

c. Poor mental state

Once liver cells are injured, the enzymes such as serum transaminase will increase, while the cholinesterase will decrease, showing symptoms such as fatigue, low mood, sleepiness, etc.

If developing an acute infection, these symptoms can start anywhere between 2 weeks to 6 months after infected. If it’s a chronic infection, one may not have symptoms until many years later.

2. Infection of Hepatitis

Viral hepatitis is contagious, but fat, alcohol and drug-induced hepatitis is not contagious.

In addition, mosquito bites cannot transmit the hepatitis virus, and behaviors without blood contact such as handshake, hug, and kiss will not transmit, either. The transmission route of hepatitis A and E can be spread through the digestive tract, and thus eating together may be contagious. The transmission of hepatitis B and C is through blood transmission, mother-to-child transmission and sexual transmission.

3. Prevention of hepatitis

The prevention of hepatitis can be carried out in several aspects.

The first is the vaccine. The hepatitis vaccines based on hepatitis virus antibodies that have been officially used are hepatitis A and hepatitis B vaccines. There are currently two hepatitis A vaccines (Havrix and Vaqta) in the United States, which is injected into the and can provide a high level of protection against hepatitis A. Examples of hepatitis B vaccines available in the United States include Engerix-B and Recombivax-HB. To ensure protection, a total of three doses (administered at the 1st, 2nd, and 6th month) are required.

Secondly, it is also important to abstain from alcohol and limit the intake of foods with too much fat and sugar. In addition, the drugs we take will be detoxified by the liver, so excessive use of drugs will also increase the burden on the liver.

Finally, because hepatitis A and hepatitis E are transmitted through the digestive tract, the main methods of prevention are paying more attention to dietary hygiene: wash hands before and after meals, and do not drink

The liver is the human body’s chemical plant and an important organ involved in the metabolic process. Therefore, for liver health, it is necessary to develop good biological habits in daily life and pay close attention to the body’s abnormal reactions, through which, one is able to respond to the occurrence of diseases in a timely manner.

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