Is Hepatitis more lethal than CoVID?

With around 325 million cases yearly and 1.35 million deaths worldwide per year, Hepatitis is one of the most deadly viral infections after HIV, tuberculosis and even CoVID. The sudden and rapid rise of the pandemic took all the attention although many other health conditions are still prevalent in the world and are increasing with the same pace.

What is hepatitis? Hepatitis or inflammation of liver is a common viral infection which causes yellow coloration of skin and eyes, loss of appetite, fatigue, pain in abdomen and diarrhea.

Hepatitis may be acute or chronic; the earlier heals within 6 months of infection whereas the later may cause severe conditions such as cirrhosis, failure of liver or hepatic cancer.

How is Hepatitis caused?

 Hepatitis A, B, C, D and E are most commonly caused by viral infection. Other causes include alcohol abuse and over consumption, medication and autoimmune disease in which the healthy liver cells are destroyed by the body's own immune cells.

How is Hepatitis transmitted? 

Mode of transmission of hepatitis varies according to the type of virus and is summarized as follows:

Hepatitis A: contaminated food and water

Hepatitis B: sexually transmitted

Hepatitis C: transfusion of infected blood or use of infected tools (syringes, blades, razors etc.)

Hepatitis D: infects people who have already been infected with Hepatitis B

Hepatitis E: contaminated food and water

 Sign and symptoms:

The clinical presentation of hepatitis may vary from complete absence of symptoms to severe cirrhosis or even liver failure. Commonly observed symptoms of Hepatitis include;

Loss of appetite

Nausea and vomiting

Tiredness and fatigue

Pain in the upper side of the body beneath the last ribs

Dark urine

Pain in joints

Yellow coloration of skin and eyes

 Diagnostic procedures:

Diagnosis of Hepatitis is done on the following basis;

 Sign and symptoms of patient

Blood screening

Biopsy

Histopathological and serological analysis

 Prevention of hepatitis:

Occurrence of hepatitis could be reduced by taking the following measures;

Vaccination of Hepatitis A and B.

Avoid sharing infected needles and personal hygiene tools like blades and razors.

Get tattoos and piercings from professionals having hygienic setup/work environment.

Practice safe sexual activities.

Drink bottled water while traveling.

 

According to WHO, approximately 325 million people worldwide get infected with Hepatitis every year, A total of 4.5 million deaths could be prevented by the year 2030 if Low and Middle income countries (LMICs) follow vaccination and awareness programmes to let the general public know about the risks of hepatitis and it's effective precautionary measures.