Chronic Hepatitis
Hepatitis is a viral infection that causes inflammation of the liver. Hepatitis is considered chronic if it lasts for at least six months. In general, chronic hepatitis is mild, causing relatively little damage.
However, this condition still has a serious potential that can destroy cells in the liver and cause cirrhosis or liver failure.
Compared to acute hepatitis, chronic hepatitis is indeed less common. However, this condition can last for months or even years.
Symptoms of Chronic Hepatitis
In most cases of chronic hepatitis, symptoms develop gradually or often without symptoms. In addition, the disease can also develop after an acute viral hepatitis attack that persists or recurs (often several weeks later).
Most chronic hepatitis causes general health symptoms, such as vague aches and pains (malaise), poor appetite, and fatigue. Sometimes people with this condition also experience a mild fever and upper abdominal discomfort.
The following are symptoms of chronic hepatitis that you need to be aware of:
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Jaundice
Jaundice is a yellow discoloration of the skin and whites of the eyes caused by excessive bilirubin deposits. This condition is actually rare, unless it has progressed to liver failure.
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Sirosis
Often, specific symptoms will first appear when hepatitis has progressed to cirrhosis. Symptoms can include an enlarged spleen, spider angiomas, redness of the palms, ascites, coagulopathy, jaundice, and decreased brain function (hepatic encephalopathy).
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Decreased brain function
Brain function can deteriorate as liver damage worsens. This is because the liver can no longer remove toxic substances from the blood as it normally would. These substances then build up in the blood and reach the brain.
Normally, the liver removes it from the blood, breaks it down, and then releases it as a harmless byproduct into the bile or blood.
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Blood clotting problems
Blood also cannot clot as it normally would because the damaged liver can no longer synthesize enough of the proteins that help blood clot.
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Light-colored stool
Light-colored stools are caused by the bile flow that should come out of the liver being blocked so that less bilirubin is eliminated in the stool. This bilirubin is what gives stool its distinctive color.
Causes of Chronic Hepatitis
The most common causes of hepatitis are infection with the hepatitis B, C and E viruses. The following are the causes of infection with these viruses:
- Hepatitis B and C. Individuals infected with hepatitis B and C are often unaware of their early symptoms. This is because the early symptoms of hepatitis B and C are very mild and are only detected when they have developed into chronic.
- Hepatitis E. The hepatitis E virus is often spread through contaminated food. Symptoms are rarely visible so sufferers are not aware of it.
Chronic Hepatitis Risk Factors
There are a number of factors that can increase the risk of chronic hepatitis. A number of factors that play a role ranging from environmental factors, lifestyle, and certain health problems.
Here are a number of risk factors for chronic hepatitis that you should be aware of:
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Environmental factors
Exposure to the following environmental factors increases the risk of hepatitis, namely:
- Lack of or unavailability of clean water.
- Poor environmental sanitation
- Close contact with used needles, syringes, or other objects that may have been contaminated with the hepatitis virus
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Lifestyle factors
An unhealthy lifestyle can also increase the risk of exposure to viruses that cause hepatitis.
Lifestyles that you should avoid are:
- Sharing needles or other objects that may be contaminated with the hepatitis virus
- Engaging in unsafe sexual contact, such as not using a condom during sex, having rough sex, or having multiple partners.
- Working around toxic chemicals. Examples of jobs that involve regular exposure to chemicals include painters, health care providers, or farm workers.
- Drinking untreated water or eating food that has not been cooked or cleaned properly
- Consumption of large amounts of alcohol over a long period of time
- Taking medications believed to be associated with hepatitis
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Health factors
A person’s medical history also plays a role in the development of hepatitis. Health risk factors for hepatitis include:
- Not vaccinated against hepatitis viruses, especially HAV and HBV 7
- Having an acute or chronic infection with one or more hepatitis viruses
- Having an autoimmune disorder, such as autoimmune polyendocrinopathy candidiasis ectodermal dystrophy (APECE)
- Born to a mother infected with the hepatitis virus, especially hepatitis B
Diagnosis of Chronic Hepatitis
Because chronic hepatitis rarely causes early symptoms, it is often accidentally diagnosed during a routine blood test. If your doctor suspects chronic hepatitis, he or she may perform a more specific test that checks for jaundice, abdominal tenderness, and signs of fluid filling the abdomen during liver failure.
Blood tests can then be done to measure the levels of liver enzymes, bilirubin levels, and protein levels. Liver enzymes are substances released when liver cells become inflamed or damaged. High levels of bilirubin cause jaundice.
Protein and clotting factor levels can also assess liver function. Other signs that help diagnose chronic hepatitis include dark urine, easy bruising, and spontaneous bleeding and confusion that may progress to coma.
Chronic Hepatitis Complications
Hepatitis C infection that continues for years can cause serious complications, such as:
- Cirrhosis. This is a condition where scar tissue forms on the liver. This scar tissue can interfere with liver function.
- Liver Cancer. A small number of people with chronic hepatitis can develop liver cancer.
- Liver Failure. Progressing cirrhosis can cause the liver to stop functioning.
When chronic hepatitis causes liver failure, sufferers need to have a liver transplant to prolong their life expectancy.
Chronic Hepatitis Treatment
Treatment for chronic hepatitis can vary depending on the symptoms experienced and the cause. If caused by drugs, then their use needs to be stopped.
Meanwhile, if caused by a medical condition, then the treatment focuses on treating the disease. Here is the treatment for chronic hepatitis based on the cause and how to treat complications and home care that you can do:
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Hepatitis B and C
If hepatitis B gets worse or liver enzyme levels get higher, doctors will usually prescribe antiviral drugs. In some people, hepatitis B tends to recur after treatment is stopped and may become more severe. Thus, people with chronic hepatitis caused by hepatitis B need to take antiviral drugs throughout their lives.
Meanwhile, in hepatitis C, antiviral drug treatment is also recommended. Treatment can last from 8 to 24 weeks. Treatment for hepatitis C aims to eliminate the virus from the body so that it can stop inflammation and prevent the formation of scar tissue in the liver (cirrhosis).
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Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis
Treatment for non-alcoholic steatohepatitis focuses on managing the condition. Treatment may include:
- Lose weight to an ideal figure.
- Consume healthy foods to control weight, diabetes, and lipid levels.
- Take medication to treat diabetes.
- Do not take any medications that may cause problems.
- Avoid toxins, such as pesticides.
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Autoimmune chronic hepatitis
Corticosteroid drugs are commonly used with azathioprine to treat autoimmune hepatitis to suppress the immune system. This drug suppresses inflammation, relieves symptoms, and improves long-term survival. However, the risk of using this drug is the appearance of scar tissue that can gradually worsen.
However, stopping these medications can cause inflammation to flare up, so most people need to take the medication indefinitely. For this reason, doctors usually reduce the dose of corticosteroids gradually so that people can stop taking them.
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Treatment of complications
Chronic hepatitis is very likely to cause complications, such as cirrhosis of the liver and liver failure. If the sufferer has entered the complication stage and causes liver failure, then the only treatment that can be done is a liver transplant.
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Treatment of chronic hepatitis at home
In addition to medical treatment, chronic hepatitis sufferers also need to do home care so that their condition does not develop into a serious condition. Home remedies that can help relieve symptoms of chronic hepatitis include:
- Stop drinking alcohol.
- Avoid taking medications that damage the liver.
- Cover the injured area of the body.
- Avoid sharing razors or toothbrushes.
- Do not donate blood or organs for the time being.
- Have safe sex using contraception, such as condoms.
Chronic Hepatitis Prevention
Hepatitis B and C viruses are often the main causes of chronic hepatitis. Both viruses can be transmitted from person to person through sexual contact or through contact with blood or other body fluids through needles or blood transfusions. Therefore, it is best to avoid unsafe sex and ensure the cleanliness of the needles when using them.
Meanwhile, hepatitis E is often transmitted through unclean food. That’s why, make sure you prepare your food properly.
The way is to wash the food ingredients thoroughly and wash your hands thoroughly before preparing food. When buying food from outside, make sure the presentation of the food is kept clean.
