Hepatitis A or infectious hepatitis appears more often in children, but it may occur in people of all ages in the world. Being an acute condition occurs in 2-6 weeks after infestation from a person's feces, or contaminated food, water, cooking ustensils or someone's hands.

One of the most serious forms of hepatitis is hepatitis B or serum hepatitis. Caused by a virus can be transmitted from mother to child at birth, through sexual contact, blood transfusion, needle or razor sharing, ear piercing tools. If a small percent of cases of hepatitis B become chronic they progress to cirrhosis of the liver, liver failure or liver cancer. If you spend time in Alaska, the Pacific Islands, Africa, Asia or the Amazon region of South America you should have made a vaccin against hepatitis, more susceptible persons are those that are sexually active, have unprotected sex, have more than one sexual partner, have a sexual transmitted disease (STD), share needles for injecting drugs, work in health care.

Hepatitis C has its incubation period in 5-10 weeks and is transmitted through blood transfusion, contaminated needles. The higher percent of hepatitis C is chronic and may determine cirrhosis, you have greater chances of developing hepatitis C if you experimented with IV drugs or intranasal cocaine, have been a long-term hemodialysis patient, used acupuncture.

Hepatitis D or delta hepatitis occurs often in intravenous drug users. Hepatitis E or enteric hepatitis appears more often in the Indian Ocean area as an acute condition.

Nonviral hepatitis are: alcoholic, toxic induced and autoimmune, granulomatous hepatitis. In US alcoholic hepatitis is the precursor of cirrhosis, some patients may develop it after few years of excessive drinking, others develop it sooner. Hepatitis may be caused by toxins and drugs ingested or inhalated: carbon tetrachloride, vinyl chloride, poisonous mushrooms, drugs adverse reactions such as: Isoniazid, methyldopa (a treatment for high blood pressure), acetaminophen (pain reliever), erythromycin, chlorpromazine, oral contraceptives and anabolic steroids. In granulomatous hepatitis there are many white blood cells in the liver. The recovery from A, E, nonviral hepatitis are complete, but that doens't mean that relapses are not possible. More severe are B, C, D hepatitis that are transmitted through others.

Among hepatitis symptoms we mention: nausea, fever, loss of appetite, diarrhea, fatigue, abdominal pain. Other symptoms are: jaundice, itching, light colored stools that may contain pus, dark urine, headache, dizziness, drowsiness. Various labor tests are done to see if the patient has hepatitis, antibody tests, blood tests, liver panel tests, RNA test via PCR technology, liver biopsy.

Treatment

Hepatitis A resolves spontaneously, in hepatitis B is recommended rest, interferon, high protein/high carbohydrate diet, in hepatitis C is recommended interferon alfa-2b. In nonviral hepatitis, the harmfull substance is first removed from the stomach and corticosteroids may be administrated.