Save Your Liver From Hepatitis
by Premier Hospitals | February 11, 2019 |
Save Your Liver From Hepatitis
The liver is one of the most important organs of our body. Not only does it play a major role in blood and fat metabolism, but it also has several important synthetic functions producing substances crucial for our body's daily activities. And besides that, most substances that we consume including many medicines that we take, pass through the liver first so that harmful chemicals or substances can be eliminated from our blood. Needless to say, a malfunctioning liver can have a direct impact on our health.
Hepatitis is one such condition that results in liver dysfunction.
So let’s get to know about the symptoms and preventive options for hepatitis.
What Is Hepatitis?
Hepatitis is an inflammatory condition of the liver. It can be caused mainly due to viral infections or drinking alcohol, but there are also other possible causes such as autoimmune hepatitis and using drugs, toxins, etc.
Viral Hepatitis is of different types (e.g.- hepatitis A, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, hepatitis D and hepatitis E which is caused by hepatitis A, B, C, D, and E viruses respectively). Out of these hepatitis, A & E can be acute (short-term) and self-limiting diseases, but B, C, and D can result in chronic hepatitis or long term disease. While Hepatitis A & E viruses are spread by water and food, hepatitis B, C and D are either blood-borne or spread via body fluids (e.g.- sexually transmitted).
What Are The Symptoms of Hepatitis?
In most people who have hepatitis, the symptoms may take time to appear as chronic hepatitis is a slowly progressing disease. The signs are noticeable when the damage affects the functioning of the liver. Some of the symptoms that can occur are:
- fatigue
- frequent fever, nausea
- flu-like symptoms
- dark urine
- pale stool
- pain in the right abdomen or swelling of the abdomen
- loss of appetite
- unusual weight loss
- yellow skin and eyes, which may be signs of jaundice
How To Prevent Hepatitis?
Here are some tips to prevent hepatitis; maintaining proper hygiene and taking vaccines in time can prevent hepatitis. Maintaining good hygiene is especially good to avoid contracting hepatitis A and E. In the process of maintaining good hygiene, you should:
- Avoid Ice cubes that are commercially available
- Avoid local or impure water
- Avoid having raw or undercooked shellfish and oysters
- Avoid eating raw fruits and vegetables without cleaning
- Clean your hands thoroughly after going to the washroom
Mostly, hepatitis B, C, and D are contracted through contaminated blood. So, to prevent effecting from hepatitis you need to:
- Avoid the exchange of needles
- Avoid contact of infected blood with your skin, eyes or mouth
- A virus can also spread through body fluids like vaginal secretions and semen, so use safety and avoid direct sexual contact
- Avoid sharing of razors also
In some particular cases, there is a possibility of passing the virus to a child at the time of pregnancy, so the pregnant mother should be more cautious and should be regularly monitored by the doctor for safe delivery.
Vaccines also play a key role in preventing hepatitis. Vaccines stop the growth and further development of hepatitis. Timely vaccines can prevent you from contracting hepatitis.
As the signs and symptoms take a long time to develop, make sure you meet your doctor regularly for check-ups and prevent any damage to the liver. Our gastroenterology experts at Premier Hospital can help live a healthy life for a healthy liver.
About The Hospital:
Since the inception of Premier Hospital in 1991 till today, we have grown to unprecedented levels, due to our excellence in medical sciences and healthcare. Premier Hospital is the creation of Dr. Mahesh Marda and when it was first established, was only a small, 30-bed hospital facility. Back then, we provided only secondary care to patients, but that certainly has changed in the present landscape.