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Conclusion
Hepatitis is a common term for a large number of diseases that feature liver inflammation. A viral infection triggers most of them with one of the 5 types of hepatitis viruses. In other cases, toxic substances, alcohol, and autoimmune disorders are the ones that explain liver inflammation.
Viral hepatitis can be acute or chronic, depending on how the symptoms develop and progress. In most cases, hepatitis A and E cause an acute infection, and they are commonly associated with contaminated water and food. Conversely, other types of hepatitis, especially hepatitis B and C, cause chronic hepatitis. They are often asymptomatic and long-standing cases. But they are even more dangerous because the persistent state of inflammation is a potential cause of liver cancer and cirrhosis.
Prevention usually consists of avoiding contact with infected patients, using hygienic measures, not sharing needles, practicing safe sex, and applying vaccines to develop a natural defense against the disease. Doctors may also play their part by educating their patients, running the appropriate tests, and adopting safety measures before, during, and after any invasive procedure.
References
Alter, M. J., & Mast, E. E. (1994). The epidemiology of viral hepatitis in the United States. Gastroenterology Clinics of North America, 23(3), 437.
Hussien, S. O., Elkhatem, S. S., Osman, N., & Ibrahim, A. O. (2017, November). A review of data mining techniques for diagnosing hepatitis. In 2017 Sudan Conference on Computer Science and Information Technology (SCCSIT) (pp. 1-6). IEEE.
World Health Organization. (2017). WHO guidelines on hepatitis B and C testing. World Health Organization.
European Association for the Study of the Liver. (2018). EASL Clinical Practice Guidelines on hepatitis E virus infection. Journal of hepatology, 68(6), 1256-1271.
