Your liver is the largest organ inside your body.

It helps your body digest food, store energy, and

remove poisons. Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver.
Viruses cause most cases of hepatitis. The type of hepatitis is named for the virus that causes it; for
example, hepatitis A, hepatitis B or hepatitis C. Drug or alcohol use can also cause hepatitis. In other
cases, your body mistakenly attacks healthy cells in the liver.
Some people who have hepatitis have no symptoms. Others may have

 Loss of appetite
 Nausea and vomiting
 Diarrhea
 Dark-colored urine and pale bowel movements
 Stomach pain
 Jaundice, yellowing of skin and eyes

Some forms of hepatitis are mild, and others can be serious. Some can lead to scarring,
called cirrhosis, or to liver cancer.
Sometimes hepatitis goes away by itself. If it does not, it can be treated with drugs. Sometimes
hepatitis lasts a lifetime. Vaccines can help prevent some viral forms.

Hepatitis A is a highly contagious liver infection caused by the hepatitis A virus. The
virus is one of several types of hepatitis viruses that cause inflammation and affect your
liver's ability to function.

You're most likely to get hepatitis A from contaminated food or water or from close
contact with a person or object that's infected. Mild cases of hepatitis A don't require
treatment. Most people who are infected recover completely with no permanent liver
damage.

Practicing good hygiene, including washing hands frequently, is one of the best ways to
protect against hepatitis A. Vaccines are available for people most at risk.

Symptoms

Hepatitis A signs and symptoms typically don't appear until you've had the virus for a
few weeks. But not everyone with hepatitis A develops them. If you do, hepatitis signs
and symptoms can include:

 Fatigue
  Sudden nausea and vomiting

 Abdominal pain or discomfort, especially on the upper right side beneath your
lower ribs (by your liver)

 Clay-colored bowel movements

 Loss of appetite

 Low-grade fever

 Dark urine

 Joint pain

 Yellowing of the skin and the whites of your eyes (jaundice)

 Intense itching

These symptoms may be relatively mild and go away in a few weeks. Sometimes,
however, hepatitis A infection results in a severe illness that lasts several months.

Prevention

The hepatitis A vaccine can prevent infection with the virus. The vaccine is typically
given in two shots. The first one is followed by a booster shot six months later.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends a hepatitis A vaccine for
the following people:

 All children at age 1, or older children who didn't receive the childhood vaccine

 Anyone age 1 year or older who is experiencing homelessness

 Infants ages 6 to 11 months traveling internationally

 Family and caregivers of adoptees from countries where hepatitis A is common

 People in direct contact with others who have hepatitis A

 Laboratory workers who may come in contact with hepatitis A

 Men who have sex with men

 People who work or travel in parts of the world where hepatitis A is common
  People who use any type of illicit drugs, not just injected ones

 People with clotting-factor disorders

 People with chronic liver disease, including hepatitis B or hepatitis C

 Anyone wishing to obtain protection (immunity)

If you're concerned about your risk of hepatitis A, ask your doctor if you should be
vaccinated.

Causes

Hepatitis A is caused by a virus that infects liver cells and causes inflammation. The
inflammation can affect how your liver works and cause other signs and symptoms of
hepatitis A.

The virus most commonly spreads when you eat or drink something contaminated with
fecal matter, even just tiny amounts. It does not spread through sneezing or coughing.

Here are some of the specific ways the hepatitis A virus can spread:

 Eating food handled by someone with the virus who doesn't thoroughly wash his or
her hands after using the toilet

 Drinking contaminated water

 Eating raw shellfish from water polluted with sewage

 Being in close contact with a person who's infected — even if that person has no
signs or symptoms

 Having sex with someone who has the virus

Hepatitis B is an infection of the liver by the

hepatitis B virus. It can be acute and self-
resolving, or it can be chronic, leading to cirrhosis
and liver cancer.
HBV is a major global health problem. Worldwide, some 887,000 people died
from HBV-related liver disease in 2015. Between 850,000 and 2.2
million people in the United States (U.S.) are thought to be living with chronic
HBV infection.

For most adults, HBV is a short-term illness that causes no permanent

damage, but 2 to 6 percent of adults infected will develop a chronic infection
that can potentially lead to liver cancer. Around 90 percent of infants with the
virus will develop chronic infection.

There is no cure for HBV, but immunization can prevent initial infection.
Antiviral medication can treat chronic infections.

What is hepatitis B?
Hepatitis B is a common viral infection that can have serious consequences.

HBV can cause infection and inflammation of the liver. A person can be
infected and pass on the virus without knowing it.
 Some individuals have no symptoms, some experience only the initial
infection, but others remain chronically infected, as the virus continues to
attack the liver over time without being detected. Irreversible liver damage can
result.

Causes
Hepatitis B is caused by infection of the body with the hepatitis B virus.

The hepatitis B virus (HBV) is found in blood and bodily fluids. It can be
transmitted through semen, vaginal fluids, and blood, and it can pass from a
mother to a newborn during delivery. Sharing needles and having unprotected
sex increase the risk.

Transmission
Hepatitis B is transmitted when blood, semen, or another bodily fluid from a
person infected with the virus enters the body of someone who is not infected.
This may be through a puncture in the skin, a shared needle, or the exchange
of body fluids.

Infection can happen:

 as an infected mother gives birth

 during sexual activity

 through sharing needles, syringes, or other drug-injection equipment

 through unsafe tattoo techniques

 by sharing personal hygiene items such as razors or toothbrushes

 Symptoms
Most infections occur during infancy or childhood. They are rarely diagnosed,
as there may be few obvious symptoms.

Symptoms of a new infection may not be apparent in children under 5 years of

age and adults with a suppressed immune system. Among those aged 5
years and over, between 30 and 50 percent will show initial signs and
symptoms.

These include:

 fever

 joint pain

 fatigue

 nausea

 vomiting

 loss of appetite

 abdominal pain

 dark urine

 clay-colored stools

 jaundice, or a yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes

Acute symptoms appear from 60 to 120 days after exposure to the virus, and
they can last from several weeks to 6 months.

A person with chronic HBV infection may have ongoing episodes of abdominal
pain, persistent fatigue, and aching joints.
 Tests and diagnosis
A blood test can diagnose acute and chronic HBV infection.

Screening is available for people who have a higher risk of HBV infection or
complications due to undiagnosed HBV infection.

These include:

 infants born to mothers with HBV

 sex partners of infected persons

 sexually active individuals who engage in unprotected intercourse or have multiple

partners

 men who have sex with men

 injection drug users

 people who share a household with someone who has chronic HBV infection

 health care and public safety workers at risk from occupational exposure, for
example, to blood or blood-contaminated body fluids

 hemodialysis patients

 anyone receiving chemotherapy for cancer

 anyone coming from a region with a high incidence of HBV, including some Asian
countries

 all women during pregnancy

If a woman has HBV during pregnancy, the newborn must be vaccinated and receive
hepatitis B immune globulin (HBIG) within 12 to 24 hours after birth.
 Prevention
A vaccine against HBV has been available since 1982. This is a series of
three injections. The first injection is given soon after birth, the second at least
1 month later, and the third dose is given at least 8 weeks after the second
dose.

The CDC recommends that all children receive a birth dose of HBV vaccine
and complete the series by 6 to 18 months of age.

Others who should receive the vaccine include:

 children and adolescents not previously vaccinated

 all health care workers

 anyone who may be exposed to blood and blood products through work or
treatment

 dialysis patients and recipients of solid organ transplants

 residents and staff of correctional facilities, halfway houses, and community

residences

 people who inject drugs

 household and sexual contacts of people with chronic HBV infection

 those with multiple sexual partners

 travelers to countries where HBV is common if they have not been

vaccinated
The complete vaccine series induces protective antibody levels in over 95
percent of people vaccinated. Protection lasts for at least 20 years and is
usually lifelong.
Hepatitis C is a contagious, viral liver disease. It is
the most common blood-borne disease in the
United States, and most people with hepatitis C
do not realize that they have it.

The disease spreads by blood-to-blood contact, and primarily by the use of

injectable drugs. There are immunizations against hepatitis A and B, but not
C. To prevent infection, it is necessary to avoid exposure to the hepatitis C
virus (HCV).

If the virus does not clear within six months, the infection becomes chronic
and only curable with medication. HCV can result in
scarring, cirrhosis, cancer of the liver, and in some cases, death. There are,
however, new medications that can cure chronic hepatitis C infection.
What is hepatitis C?

HCV is a virus that damages the liver.

 Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver. There are several strains of viral hepatitis.
The most common types are A, B, and C.

HCV is the most widespread blood-borne disease in the United States (U.S.). An
estimated 2.7 to 3.9 million people have chronic HCV infection.

The virus invades the cells in the liver and causes swelling and dysfunction.

There is no vaccination for HCV. The presence of HCV antibodies in the immune
system does not provide long-term protective immunity in the same way as a vaccine.
The immune system holds no permanent record of HCV antibodies.

A person can become re-infected with a different strain of the virus.

Symptoms
HCV often does not present symptoms at its acute stage. However, the
condition can escalate to a chronic stage at which potentially fatal
complications can develop.

During this acute period, symptoms will not seem different to those caused by
any other viral syndrome. People with acute HCV will experience:

 abdominal discomfort

 nausea

 fever

 joint pain

 fatigue

 jaundice, rarely
 clay-colored stools, rarely

Prevention
Preventing HCV involves limiting exposure to the virus in the first instance.

Because HCV can only be transmitted through blood to infected blood

exposure, the number one way to prevent spreading HCV is by not sharing
needles and avoiding all contact with the blood of other people.

Once identified, people infected with HCV should receive both the hepatitis A
and B vaccines, and make lifestyle changes to promote optimum liver health.

Obesity, smoking, diabetes and alcohol consumption can accelerate the rate
of liver scarring. It is important that all individuals with HCV infection maintain
good health. This involves:

 avoiding or quitting smoking

 maintaining ideal weight

 managing co-existing health problems

 abstaining from all alcohol

causes

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have identified the factors that lead to
the greatest risk of HCV exposure. These include:

 being born between 1945 and 1965

 receiving transfusions or organ transplants before 1992

 using or having used injectable drugs

 hemophilia

 long-term hemodialysis

 exposure to a needle stick, especially for people who work in healthcare

 HIV

 getting a tattoo in an unregulated setting

 risky sexual behaviors, such as unprotected intercourse with an intravenous

drug user

 being born to a mother with HCV infection

 being incarcerated

 a history of long-term daily alcohol use

 unexplained liver disease

 snorting drugs