Hepatitis

Hepatitis means an inflammatory condition of the liver. It is caused by a viral infection, but there are many other possible causes for hepatitis which include autoimmune hepatitis and hepatitis that occurs as a secondary output of medications, drugs, toxins, and alcohol.

The liver is present on the right upper quadrant of your abdomen and it performs many critical functions throughout your body which includes the essential of digestion bile production, toxins filtration from the body, bilirubin, hormones, drugs and cholesterol, fats, proteins and carbohydrates metabolism, enzymes activation, glycogen storage, plasma proteins synthesis such as albumin, clotting factors synthesis.

Viral infections of the liver that are classified as hepatitis include hepatitis A, B, C, D, and E. Hepatitis A is a milder one while hepatitis C and D are more severe. Treatment options will vary depending on the severity of hepatitis you have and what caused the infection. You can prevent some forms of hepatitis through immunizations precautions.

Common symptoms of Hepatitis:

The common signs and symptoms of acute hepatitis includes fatigue, dark urine, abdominal pain, loss of appetite, unexplained weight loss, pale stool, flu-like symptoms, yellow skin and eyes.

Hepatitis diagnoses tools:

Physical exam- during physical examination doctor will check your body and will check your abdomen to see if the liver has been enlarged or you have any symptoms related to the disease.

Liver biopsy– In liver biopsy, the doctor will take a tissue from your liver to diagnose if your liver has infected or not; it can be done through needle on your skin it doesn’t need any surgery.

Liver function test- it uses blood samples to determine how efficiently the liver works.

Ultrasound- it uses ultrasound waves to create an image of the organ, this will reveal the fluid of the enlarged liver or damaged liver.

Viral antibody testing- it is needed when a specific virus is present in the liver.