Types of non-infectious hepatitis and how do you get them
Hepatitis can be caused by non-infectious agents, either from the environment or deep within ourselves. Environmental causes are more common and usually include toxic substances. We can also develop autoimmune hepatitis, which is often very difficult to treat and not very common.
Alcoholic hepatitis
It is the most common cause of non-infectious hepatitis. As you can imagine by its name, you get alcoholic hepatitis if you have problems with alcohol. This substance can be toxic to the liver and loads this organ with double work. In dealing with alcoholic drinks, your liver goes through an oxidation process with dangerous free radicals that end up creating lesions and inflammatory reactions. In normal circumstances, the liver has its own antioxidant enzymes, which take care of the free radicals and keep the liver safe. But in cases of alcoholism, and even with one single intoxication with alcohol, the liver becomes unable to handle so much alcohol, and free radicals also go out of control. Most people with alcoholic hepatitis drink heavily, but liver susceptibility is different from one person to another, and it is a good idea to exercise moderation.
Toxic hepatitis
As it happens with alcohol, many other substances can trigger inflammation in the liver, which causes injury to the organ and severe damage to its functions. Some hepatotoxic medications trigger inflammation in the liver when given in high doses or administered incorrectly. Chemotherapy and other types of cancer therapy may also trigger inflammation and other lesions in the liver. And certain toxins work as a defense mechanism in plants and animals, causing hepatic failure, hepatitis, and other lesions to this noble organ.
Autoimmune hepatitis
It is perhaps one of the most uncommon types of hepatitis, but it should not be forgotten, especially in individuals with an autoimmune condition. It is more common in people with systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, and other ailments in which the immune system goes against healthy tissue by mistake. The most common association in these patients is the convergence of hepatitis symptoms (jaundice, nausea, abdominal pain) and joint pain. The cause is deep within us, and patients sometimes get this type of hepatitis after an infectious disease or without any particular or traceable trigger.
