Hepatitis – symptoms and causes

Hepatitis is an injury to the liver indicated by the presence of inflammatory cells in its tissue. This disease might be self-limiting, heal on its own, or might advance to a point where it causes liver scarring. It is considered chronic if it lasts longer than six months and acute if it lasts less than six months.

Hepatitis has two categories, namely viral and non-viral hepatitis. Viral hepatitis can be categorised as acute if the condition occurs swiftly with relentless symptoms but only lasts for a short time. Non-viral hepatitis is a condition that slowly creeps in and may or may not have any manifestations, but lasts far longer.

Most cases of liver damage in the world are caused by a group of viruses, known as the hepatitis viruses. However, some cases are caused by toxins (like alcohol), other infections, or by an autoimmune process.

There are different types of hepatitis, depending on the viruses triggering the symptoms. Tests to determine which kind of hepatitis is present in an individual’s body will help in designing the appropriate treatment plan for them. Depending on the type of virus found in the body, a patient might undergo more than one or two tests to make sure that the diagnosis is correct and to determine what other infections are inside the body’s systems.

The five types of viral hepatitis are Hepatitis A, B, C, D and E. Non-viral hepatitis, on the other hand, has two main types which are called toxic/drug-induced hepatitis and alcoholic hepatitis. In addition, there are two less common types of non-viral hepatitis called autoimmune hepatitis and granulomatous hepatitis.