Also called: Also called: Viral hepatitis
Your liver helps your body digest food, store energy and remove poisons. Hepatitis is a swelling of the liver that makes it stop working well. It can lead to scarring, called cirrhosis, or to cancer.
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 lead to hepatitis. In other cases, your body mistakenly attacks its own tissues. You can help prevent some viral forms by getting a vaccine. Sometimes hepatitis goes away by itself. If it does not, it can be treated with drugs. Sometimes hepatitis lasts a lifetime.
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
- Viral Hepatitis(National Women's Health Information Center) - http://womenshealth.gov/faq/hepatitis.htm
-
Viral Hepatitis: A through E and Beyond
(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/viralhepatitis/
- ABC's of Hepatitis(Hepatitis Foundation International) - http://www.hepfi.org/living/liv_abc.html
- Hepatitis(American Association for Clinical Chemistry) - http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/conditions/hep.html
-
Liver Biopsy(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/liverbiopsy/
- Liver Panel(American Association for Clinical Chemistry) - http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/liver_panel/glance.html
- Viral Hepatitis(American Association for Clinical Chemistry) - http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/conditions2/hep_table.html
- Preventing Hepatitis(Hepatitis Foundation International) - http://www.hepfi.org/living/liv_preventing.html
- Caring for Your Liver(Hepatitis Foundation International) - http://www.hepfi.org/living/liv_caring.html
- How to Live with Hepatitis(Hepatitis Foundation International) - http://www.hepfi.org/living/liv_living.html
- Two Cautions for Those Living with Hepatitis(Hepatitis Foundation International) - http://www.hepfi.org/living/liv_two.html
- Alcoholic Hepatitis(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/alcoholic-hepatitis/DS00785/METHOD=print&DSECTION=all
-
Autoimmune Hepatitis(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/autoimmunehep/
- Hepatitis D (HDV): Questions & Answers(American Social Health Association) - http://www.ashastd.org/learn/learn_hepatitisD.cfm
- Hepatitis E (HEV): Questions & Answers(American Social Health Association) - http://www.ashastd.org/learn/learn_hepatitisE.cfm
- Toxic Hepatitis(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/toxic-hepatitis/DS00811/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
- Alcohol Induced Liver Disease(American Liver Foundation) - http://www.liverfoundation.org/education/info/alcohol/
- Applying for Disability(Hepatitis Foundation International) - http://www.hepfi.org/living/liv_disability.html
- Buying Health Insurance(Hepatitis Foundation International) - http://www.hepfi.org/living/liv_buying.html
-
ClinicalTrials.gov: Hepatitis(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Hepatitis%22
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Highly active antiretroviral therapy-induced liver injury. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18690975&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Genetic and molecular factors in drug-induced liver injury: a review. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18690955&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: HHV-6A in syncytial giant-cell hepatitis. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18687640&tool=MedlinePlus
- Hepatitis -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=(hepatitis[majr:noexp]+OR+hepatitis,alcoholic[majr]+OR+hepatitis,toxic[majr]+OR+hepatitis,chronic[majr:noexp]+OR+hepatitis+d,chronic[majr]+OR+hepatitis,autoimmune[majr]+OR+hepatitis+d[majr]+OR+hepatitis+e[majr])+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+AND+(review[pt]+OR+guideline[pt]+OR+clinical+trial[pt]+OR+patient+education+handout[pt]+OR+jsubsetk[text]+OR+jsubsetaim[text]+OR+jsubsetn[text])+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- Liver Specialist Directory(Hepatitis B Foundation) - http://www.hepb.org/resources/liver_specialist_directory.htm
- American Liver Foundation - http://www.liverfoundation.org/
-
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - http://www.cdc.gov/
Also available in Spanish http://www.cdc.gov/spanish/
- Hepatitis Foundation International - http://www.hepfi.org/
-
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases - http://www.niddk.nih.gov/
- State Profiles: HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/nchhstp/stateprofiles/usmap.htm
-
Hepatitis(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/kid/health_problems/infection/hepatitis.html
Also available in Spanish http://kidshealth.org/kid/en_espanol/comunes/hepatitis_esp.html
-
Hepatitis(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/infections/bacterial_viral/hepatitis.html
Also available in Spanish http://kidshealth.org/parent/en_espanol/infecciones/hepatitis_esp.html
- Hepatitis(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/teen/infections/stds/hepatitis.html
- Hepatitis A - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/hepatitisa.html
- Hepatitis B - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/hepatitisb.html
- Hepatitis C - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/hepatitisc.html
- Liver Diseases - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/liverdiseases.html
- Liver Transplantation - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/livertransplantation.html
- Digestive System - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/digestivesystem.html
- Infections - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/infections.html
The primary NIH organization for research on Hepatitis is the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases - http://www.niddk.nih.gov/
Hepatitis - Multiple Languages - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/languages/hepatitis.html