Hepatitis is known as the inflammation of the liver produced by viruses, medications, toxic agents. Hepatitis of viral cause is considered to be acute or chronic. 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,or you have used acupuncture.



Some persons are more susceptible than other in developing hepatitis, so if you suppose you might develop hepatitis because of some risk factors you are exposed to then you should try to vaccinate yourself against hepatitis. More severe are B, C, D hepatitis that are transmitted through others.

In hepatitis C symptoms appear after 10-20 years and usually are mild and vague, but the damage of the liver is already advanced. After they occur the symptoms may last for weeks or months the most common symptoms that appear in almost all forms of hepatitis include: nausea, loss of appetite, diarrhea, fatigue, pain over the liver, jaundice, dark-colored urine, weakness, headache, irritability, confusion. Other symptoms are: itching, light colored stools that may contain pus, dizziness, drowsiness, abdominal pain.

Chronic hepatitis turns into cirrhosis of the liver, a very severe condition usually associated with alcoholism. In cirrhosis the liver tissue is replaced by fibrous tissue and the liver will be hardened, so the liver cannot carry out its functions and symptoms begin to develop.

Cirrhosis include the following symptoms: persistent jaundice, fatigue, fluid retention causing swelling of the belly (ascites), legs, or whole body, sleep disturbances, itchy skin, loss of appetite, weight loss, vomiting blood, confusion, lethargy, extreme sleepiness, hallucinations and other mental disturbances. The complication of cirrhosis is very severe because of the loss of the functions of the liver which is regarded as the chemical laboratory of the organism where proteins, carbohydrates and fats are formed and toxins, drugs found in the blood are eliminated, that's why is very important to garde the health of our liver and avoid especially the complications such as cirrhosis.

It is very important to address to your doctor or to your health care provider as soon as you remark any of these symptoms: if you have nausea or vomiting that doesn't stop in 2 days, pain in your abdomen, skin and eyes turn yellow and urine is dark brown, you realize that you could have been exposed to infestation with hepatitis.

Go to the emergency department as soon as possible if you have high fever or severe pain, you are vomiting, you cannot wake up, you are confused and delirious.