Viral Hepatitis (Hepatitis A, B & C):
What is Viral Hepatitis?
Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver. There are several different viruses that can cause viral hepatitis. They are named the hepatitis A, B and C viruses. All of these viruses cause acute viral hepatitis, which is short-lived. Hepatitis B and C viruses may also be chronic and can be life-long infections. Some of the symptoms of viral hepatitis include: jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes), fatigue, abdominal pain, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fever, and headaches. Some people do not have any symptoms.
Hepatitis A:
How is the disease spread?
Hepatitis A is primarily spread through food or water that has been contaminated by feces from an infected person. Rarely, hepatitis A is spread through contact with infected blood.
Who is at risk?
Persons who are particularly at risk include international travelers, persons living in areas where hepatitis A outbreaks are common, people who live with or have sex with an infected person, men who have sex with men, injection drug users, and day care children and employees (during an outbreak).
How is hepatitis A prevented?
Prevention methods include: the hepatitis A vaccine, avoiding tap water when traveling internationally, and practicing good sanitation and hygiene.
What are the treatment options?
Hepatitis A usually resolves itself within a few weeks.
Hepatitis B:
How is the disease spread?
Hepatitis B is typically transported from person to person through contact with infected blood. Particularly through sex with an infected person or during childbirth the mother can transport the virus to the fetus.
Who is at risk?
Persons who are particularly at risk include: people who have sex with an infected person, men who have sex with men, injection drug users, children of immigrants from diseased areas, infants born to infected mothers, health care workers, people who live with an infected person, hemodialysis patients, international travelers, and people who received a blood transfusion prior to July 1992 or utilized clotting factors made prior to 1987.
How is hepatitis B prevented?
Hepatitis B can be prevented by having a hepatitis B vaccine.
What are the treatment options?
For patients with acute hepatitis B, the virus typically resolves itself within a few weeks. Very severe cases can be treated with lamivudine.
For patients with chronic hepatitis B, drug treatment with alpha interferon, peginterferon, lamivudine or adefovir dipivoxil can be used.
Hepatitis C:
How is the disease spread?
Hepatitis C is spread primarily through contact with infected blood. It also may be spread through sexual contact and childbirth.
Who is at risk?
Persons who are particularly at risk include: injection drug users, people who have sex with an infected person, people who have multiple sex partners, health care workers, hemodialysis patients, infants born to infected mothers, people who received a blood transfusion prior to July 1992, and persons who received clotting factors that were made prior to 1987.
How is hepatitis C prevented?
There is not vaccine for hepatitis C. The only way to prevent hepatitis C is to reduce the risk of exposure to the hepatitis C virus. Avoidance may include sharing personal items such as a toothbrush, nail clippers or a razor with an infected person.
What are the treatment options?
For persons with acute hepatitis C, the virus should resolve itself within two to three months. If this does not occur, a treatment is needed.
For persons with chronic hepatitis C, drug treatment with peginterferon, or a combination of peginterferon and ribavirin will treat the virus.
Additional patient resources:
- Functions of the liver
- Hepatitis A, B, and C: Learn the Differences (print this copy)
- The American Liver Foundation (ALF)
- More patient resources
| University of Missouri Health Care | This information is not intended to replace the advice of a doctor. |
