Hepatitis FAQ
- From: alan@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Alan)
- Date: Tue, 31 May 2005 10:54 +0100 (BST)
WELCOME TO SCI.MED.DISEASES.HEPATITIS
This is the latest version of the Hepatitis FAQ that I could find, and Leola
gave me permission to use it, but I had to remove her dead web-page. So I am
going to post this FAQ regularly, and I'm not updating it, if anybody wants it
updated they can do it.
FAQ Version 2.04 April 23, 2000
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ABOUT THIS NEWSGROUP:
The sci.med.diseases.hepatitis newsgroup falls under the "Medical"
sub-section of the "Science" hierarchy. ("Science" is one of the "official"
8 main Usenet hierarchies).
This Newsgroup, formed August 1995, has an official Charter, which can be
read at:
General netiquette guidelines are contained in RFC 1855. An informative and
interesting read, this is available, among other places, at
http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/ htbin/rfc/rfc1855.html
------------------------------ ------------------------------ ------------
Welcome to sci.med.diseases.hepatitis. If you have come here, you or a
loved one have probably been recently diagnosed with Hepatitis. Many
regulars who read and/or post to this Newsgroup have been posting here for
many years, and newcomers are always welcomed. This FAQ is intended to help
both newcomers and oldtimers.
It is suggested that before you begin posting to the Newsgroup, you read
this FAQ, the General Information section, and perhaps some of the Helpful
Web Site links. Links embedded throughout the HTML version will direct you
to various specialty areas and topics, including abstracts, search engines,
and articles, along with answers to many questions you may have. The
newsgroup Charter should also be read.
Then hang around and read the Newsgroup posts for awhile, to get a feel for
the community. Quite probably you will see an answer to some of your
questions by reading the group. Please feel free to post your questions to
the group. We will do our best to answer them for you, if you are not seeing
your specific questions being addressed anywhere.
------------------------------ ------------------------------ ------------
WHO ARE WE IN THIS NEWSGROUP?
We who read and/or post to the sci.med.diseases.hepatitis Newsgroup (NG) are
people who have one or another of the forms of hepatitis, or have family
members or loved ones who have it. Some of us work in the medical
profession, there are research scientists among us, some physicians read and
occasionally post here too. Most of us are lay people, probably much like
like yourself; we come from all walks of life. Many of us were diagnosed
as long ago as 1989, and many people in the NG are more newly diagnosed.
Some of us have received liver transplants. Some are on waiting lists for
transplants. Some of us are without symptoms (asymptomatic) but still have
hepatitis. We are all fighting hepatitis with one or another of several
widely varying treatment methods.
At the end of this FAQ you will find links to many of the most frequently
used Web Sites, where you will find much more detailed information on
various aspects of hepatitis, and lots more about the topics referred to in
these FAQ questions.
------------------------------ ------------------------------ ------------
SOME OF THE MOST FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
* What is Hepatitis?
o Hepatitis A
o Hepatitis B
o Hepatitis C
o Hepatitis D
o Hepatitis E, F & G
o Autoimmune hepatitis
o Toxic hepatitis
* How did we get a chronic Hepatitis C infection?
* What about transmission to others?
* Who treats hepatitis?
* What are the treatment options for chronic HCV infection?
o Western medicine (Allopathy)
o Research: new and ongoing
o Alternative therapies
* What tests may be done?
* What do these tests mean, and how high are my levels?
* Should I be scared?
* What if I am not comfortable with my doctor?
* Will I be able to continue working?
* Should I get counseling?
* What can I do immediately?
* Learn how to research: knowledge is power!!
* Helpful web sites
* Treatment-specific web sites
* Medical search engines and libraries
* Medical journals/newsagencies
* NG Posters' Web Sites
* General Information
* Laughter as Medicine
WHAT IS HEPATITIS?
Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver. Damage caused to liver cells
(primarily hepatocytes) results in an influx of immune cells to the site of
the trauma. Hepatitis can be caused by autoimmunity (an immune response
against the host), a response to a drug or chemical, or in the vast majority
of cases a viral infection. Hepatitis reduces the efficient functioning of
the liver, the organ which is the major metabolic machine for the entire
body. When the function of the liver is compromised for extended periods of
time, as in individuals with chronic hepatitis, there is an increased risk
of eventual cirrhosis and cancer of the liver.
There are several types of hepatitis. The most common are the viral forms:
Hepatitis A, B, C, D, E and G. Hepatitis F was discounted by virologists in
1996 as a non-entity. Hepatitis may also be caused by toxic agents and/or
autoimmune disorders.
Much of the following section (Types of Viral Hepatitis, A to G), with some
minor modifications, is from Stuart Millinship's excellent Hep B FAQ ,
used with his permission:
TYPES OF VIRAL HEPATITIS, A to G
There are many forms of viral hepatitis although they can have similar
symptoms. The only way to discover if you have viral hepatitis and which
variety you have is through blood tests. Liver function tests can give an
indication of how much inflammation there is and other tests can determine
which virus is responsible.
HEPATITIS A - INFECTIOUS HEPATITIS
Hepatitis A (HAV) is caused by the hepatitis A virus.
How is hepatitis A transmitted?
The virus is excreted in the feces of infected people and can be passed on
when contaminated food or water is consumed by susceptible individuals.
Hepatitis A is most commonly transmitted by person to person contact via
fecal contamination, but epidemics can occur from sources of contaminated
food, water or ice cubes. Poor sanitation and overcrowding facilitate
transmission and outbreaks are common in institutions, prisons and the
military.
What happens when infected with Hepatitis A?
Many infections with hepatitis A do not produce any symptoms, especially in
children. When symptoms occur around 30 days after infection they are
usually mild and last for around 1-2 weeks. The symptoms are characterized
by sudden onset of fever, malaise, nausea, anorexia, and abdominal
discomfort, followed in several days by jaundice. Occasionally, the symptoms
are severe and convalescence can take several months due to being
chronically tired. Occasionally hepatitis A can be fatal. These rare deaths
usually occur in the elderly.
Once recovery from hepatitis A is complete you have life-long immunity and
cannot contract the virus again.
Milk Thistle has been reported to reduce the recovery time following
Hepatitis A infection.
Prevention
A vaccination made from inactivated hepatitis A virus is now available and
consists of an initial vaccination followed by a booster that is effective
94-100% of the time.
HEPATITIS B - SERUM HEPATITIS
Hepatitis B (HBV) is caused by the hepatitis B virus.
See: The Hepatitis B FAQ at
http://hepatitis-central.com/h bv/hepbfaq/short.html
The virus is very common in Asia, China, Philippines, China, Africa and the
Middle east. In Europe and North America the incidence of known carriers is
about 1 in a 1000 people. World wide, it is estimated that there are over
350 million hepatitis B carriers which represents 5% of the worlds
population and it is estimated that 10 to 30 million people become infected
with the virus each year.
How is Hepatitis B Transmitted?
Hepatitis B (HBV) is transmitted by the exchange of body fluids e.g. Blood,
Semen, Breast Milk and in some circumstances saliva. People most at risk
include:
+ Anyone who has unprotected sexual intercourse.
+ IV drug users who share needles and syringes. Health care workers in
contact with potentially contaminated blood or body fluids.
+ Babies born to mothers with the virus. See children with hepatitis
+ Anyone in intimate contact with an infected person. Many cases of acute
hepatitis B occur sporadically with no known source and studies have
shown that prior unrecognised infection is common.
What happens when infected with Hepatitis B?
It is possible to be infected with the hepatitis B virus (HBV) and
experience no illness or symptoms whatsoever. Commonest is an acute attack
of hepatitis during which you may feel unwell, tired and lose your appetite.
Sometimes there is the characteristic yellowish colour of jaundice best seen
in the whites of the eyes. This can last from a few days to a few months.
Itching skin and pale stools may also occur. In some cases hepatitis B can
be fatal, especially in the elderly where mortality rates may be as high as
10 - 15%.
Around 90% of people infected with hepatitis B recover completely and become
immune to the virus. Blood tests will show antibodies to hepatitis B
indicating you have had hepatitis B but are now immune and cannot get
hepatitis B again. However 10% of people infected with hepatitis B develop
chronic infection, may have ongoing symptoms and they continue to be
infectious for a variable length of time. Chronic infection is defined as
having hepatitis B ...
.
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