Top of pageThis information is intended to help you understand some of the terms used to describe liver disease. It is not meant as specific medical advice for any individual with a liver problem.
| What is Hepatitis? | Hepatitis means inflammation or
disease of the liver. |
| What causes hepatitis? | There are many causes of hepatitis, ranging
from genetic causes to drugs and
toxins to infections,
with a few more mysterious causes added.
|
| Is it serious? | Some forms of hepatitis will resolve, or cure
themselves, without permanent injury, but most forms of hepatitis have at least
the potential to be seriously disabling or life-threatening. |
| What is cirrhosis? | Cirrhosis of
the liver is the result of severe or long-standing liver disease. Scar tissue
forms within the liver, and the liver is no longer able to properly perform all
of its functions. Some of the tasks a healthy liver carries out every day
include:
|
| What is viral hepatitis? | The commonest
infectious forms of hepatitis are viral illnesses. The first two that were
recognized were named - not very originally - hepatitis A
and hepatitis B. A third form, hepatitis
C, is now known to be a common form of chronic or continuing hepatitis. A
fourth virus, the hepatitis D virus, only affects people who are already
infected with hepatitis B. Another strain of hepatitis, hepatitis E, is rare in
the United States but has been the cause of epidemics in India. A sixth virus,
hepatitis G, has been found to infect many people but it is not clear whether
it causes any illness. |
| What is alcoholic hepatitis? | Alcohol is a prime example of a substances that can damage a
previously normal liver. Excessive alcohol can lead to acute and symptomatic
liver disease (alcoholic hepatitis) or to chronic and insidious damage. The
amount needed to cause liver damage probably varies from person to person and
is most likely less in women than in men. About one-third of heavy or chronic
drinkers will develop liver disease from alcohol. Alcohol can make other liver diseases worse. For example, even moderate drinking can make hepatitis C infection worse. And heavy drinkers can develop severe liver injury after taking doses of acetaminophen (Tylenol and other brand names) that would normally not be dangerous. |
| What is hepatitis A? | Hepatitis
A causes an acute illness. It is generally spread through
contaminated food. It is rarely fatal in healthy persons, but it can be deadly
in infants, the elderly, and persons with other liver diseases. In some parts
of the world, hepatitis A is very common. Since there is a vaccine against
hepatitis A, all persons with liver disease should be vaccinated. Any one
planning on travel to the Middle East or to other areas in which hepatitis A is
common should consider vaccination. |
| What is hepatitis B? | Hepatitis
B is a very infectious virus that is spread through contact with
infected blood and probably other bodily fluids as well. Most cases of
hepatitis B are spontaneously cured, but about 5% of persons with hepatitis B
will have life-long infection. Some of these people can be successfully
treated. Hepatitis B can lead to cancer of the liver. Worldwide, hepatitis B is one of the leading causes of cancer. There is a vaccine against hepatitis B. Most children in the United States are now being vaccinated against hepatitis B. |
| What is hepatitis C? | Hepatitis
C is a virus that rarely causes acute illness but that becomes a
chronic disease in the majority of persons infected. Most persons with
hepatitis C have acquired the infection through contact with contaminated blood
(needle sharing, tattoos, body piercing), but in about 40% of cases, the route
of infection is not known. Most people with hepatitis C do not feel ill or become sick until they have had the infection for 20 years or more. Nevertheless, hepatitis C now accounts for more liver transplants in the United States than any other cause of liver disease. Treatment for hepatitis C is now available. There is no vaccine for hepatitis C. |
| Is there treatment for hepatitis B? | There are five drugs that are FDA-approved
for treatment of hepatitis B: interferon, lamivudine (Epivir-HB), adefovir (Hepsera),
entecavir (Baraclude), and pegylated interferon (Pegasys). Many other drugs are in
active development for hepatitis B treatment.
|
| What is the treatment for hepatitis C? | Hepatitis C is treated with a long-acting
injectable form of interferon known as pegylated interferon, often given in combination with
ribavirin. The success rate for combined treatment
with both drugs is between 45 and 55 per cent. There is active research on many
different drugs for use in hepatitis C. |
| What is interferon? | Whenever you have a
viral infection, your body makes a group of substances called
"interferons" that help block the virus. Different drug companies
have isolated and synthesized their own brand of interferon, based on what they
believe is most likely to be active in fighting viral infection. Interferon is
always given by injection. The dosing and duration of treatment for hepatitis C
is different from the dose for hepatitis B. Interferon is not used for treating
hepatitis A. Because interferons can "rev up" the body's immune system, they are also used in some forms of chemotherapy for cancer. Usually those doses are much higher than the doses used in hepatitis. Click here for more information on interferon. |
| What is ribavirin? | Ribavirin is a drug that is used to help fight hepatitis
C infection. It is taken in pill form. It is not effective when used alone but
makes interferon therapy more likely to be successful. In July 1998, ribavirin
was approved for use in the United States only for hepatitis C-infected persons
who had taken interferon with an initial favorable response but who then
relapsed. As of December 1998, more research studies led the FDA to approve the
use of the combination of interferon and ribavirin for initial treatment of
hepatitis-C infected patients. Click here for more
information about ribavirin. |
| What is hemochromatosis? | Hemochromatosis is the commonest genetic condition
causing liver disease. It affects as many as 1 in 100 individuals of European
extraction. In hemochromatosis, the body accumulates excess iron throughout
life. Generally the condition causes illness in middle age, although
occasionally persons can become sick in their 20's or younger. Treatment is
simple and consists simply of removing the excess iron by removing blood. In addition to liver disease, the accumulation of iron can lead to diabetes and heart disease. Persons with a family background of liver disease, diabetes or heart disease should ask their physicians to be screened for hemochromatosis. Screening is simple and is done by blood testing. |
| Auto-immune hepatitis, Primary biliary cirrhosis, sclerosing cholangitis, Wilson's disease, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, and others | These are other forms of liver disease whose exact cause is unknown. Some are thought to be related to some overactivity of the body's immune system, leading to destruction of liver cells by the body's own cells. Treatments are available for some of these conditions. For others, no current treatment is known to be effective. Any one who has one of these conditions should consult a physician experienced in liver disease. |
7/19/1998
