 |
|
|
|
|
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
You are in: Treatment Room: Features |  |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
    |
|
All you need to know about hepatitis | |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
Around the Academy: |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
West Indies cricket star Brian Lara is awaiting tests to see if he has contracted hepatitis. It's quite a common illness and can affect anyone.
What is it? It's an inflammation of the liver caused mainly by the hepatitis virus. The liver is the largest and most important organ in your body so any damage is dangerous. There are several hepatitis virus types from A to E, but the most common are A, B and C. There are over 10 million cases of type A worldwide ever year.
In each case, the virus, once inside the body, disrupts the liver cells and then uses the cells to make more of the virus.
Who? As well as Lara, England football legend Gary Lineker (in 1988) and Pakistan batsman Misbah-ul-Haq (in 2002) have also suffered. TV superstar Pamela Anderson is the most recent to undergo treatment.
Symptoms Quite often, sufferers show no signs of infection. Some though will experience extreme flu-like symptoms, like fatigue, vomiting, weakness and pain in the liver area. The only way the Hepatitis B and C diseases can be positively identified is through a blood test.
How is it spread? It is most often caused by the virus passed on from one person to another.
Hepatitis B and C are spread through contact with infected blood. This can happen from coming into contact with someone with a nosebleed or a cut, or exposure to objects such as needles or toothbrushes.
Return? Most people who contract hepatitis A will recover within 6 months. There is no guaranteed cure for hepatitis B or C, so it all depends on early detection and treatment. Although most sufferers will improve after treatment.
Treatment and prevention Treating hepatitis quickly is crucial. Various injections and drugs will be prescribed will aim to eliminate the virus from the body as early as possible to prevent further damage to the liver. Good hygiene is vital for prevention and being careful not to become directly exposed without protection to blood or objects as mentioned above. Vaccines are available for hepatitis A and B but as yet, there is no vaccine available for hepatitis C.
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
