Hepatitis means is a disease that causes inflammation of the liver. Hepatitis is most usually caused by the hepatitis virus but there is also another cause that may result in hepatitis. This includes autoimmune hepatitis and hepatitis that occurs as a side effect of any medications, alcohol, etc.
Who Is At A Risk Of Hepatitis Viruses?
Autoimmune hepatitis occurs when your body’s immune system accidentally identifies liver cells as foreign substances and starts attacking them.
Viral hepatitis is caused by five different hepatitis. Hepatitis A, B, C, D, and E. These five viruses are responsible for five different hepatitis diseases.
Risk Factors
There are a ton of hazardous factors that are related to the spread of Hepatitis infections. These risk factors are the principal justification for the spread of disease of the infection into the body.
Some of the main risk factors of the spread of Hepatitis viruses are given below:
- Geographical distribution: Geographical distribution is one of the main risk factors of Hepatitis. It can be divided into three levels. Geographies have a high levels, intermediate levels, and low levels of hepatitis. This characterization is done on the basis of the sanitary conditions and hygiene of a country. The hepatitis virus is common in low and middle-income countries where sanitation and hygiene are poor. The hepatitis virus is rare in high-income countries where sanitation and hygiene are good compared to other countries. This geographical distribution factor mainly affect children rather than adults
- Contaminated food: Hepatitis virus can be spread by foods or eatable items that are contaminated by the feces of the infected person. It can also spread through contaminated items such as vegetables, fruits, and salads that are not washed properly before using it. It is important to wash all food items even if you are going to peel them.
- Poor sanitization: Proper sanitization is part of the prevention of getting infected by any virus. People who don’t give proper hygiene to their bodies are likely to get infected by hepatitis more than people with proper sanitization.
- Contaminated blood: Hepatitis can be spread through infected blood and body fluids. The infection can be spread through unprotected contact with an open wound, contaminated dental tools, and unsterilized tools used in the hospitals. Contaminated blood can also spread through sharing needles that are used for tattooing or piercings.
- Sexual Contact: Hepatitis virus can be spread through sexual activity with an infected person. The infected virus is present in an infected person’s blood fluid, semen, or vaginal fluid. Using condoms or dental dams can reduce the risk of transmission but it is best to get vaccinated to prevent the transmission.
- Being born to a mother who is infected: Pregnant women who have hepatitis can transmit the virus to their baby during the delivery process. The health care will provide hepatitis b vaccine to your baby but it doesn’t guarantee that the baby will not infected by hepatitis virus
- Travelling to region with high infection rates of Hepatitis virus: Travelling to region with high infected rates of hepatitis virus such as several asian countries without being vaccinated also has higher risk of getting infected.
- People who uses IV injections: IV injections are injections that are used to inject medication or another substance into vein and directly into bloodstream. Using an injection which is not properly sterilized or used by another person can cause the transmission of the virus.
- Sharing personal items:Sharing personal items such as toothbrush, razors, nail clippers that might have infected blood or fluid on it can also lead to the transmission of the virus.
Risk factors of autoimmune hepatitis are given below:
- Being female: Female are more at risk of developing autoimmune hepatitis than men
- Heredity: Studies suggests that autoimmune hepatitis can run in families
- Having an autoimmune disease: People who already have an autoimmune disease such as hyperthyroidism are at higher risk of developing autoimmune hepatitis.
Conclusion
Treatment for any hepatitis depends upon the type of hepatitis that you have. Some hepatitis can be mild and will go away on its own but some may lead to severe issues which will need proper treatment.
The prevention of hepatitis is proper sanitization and hygiene activities and also getting vaccinated as soon as possible. In the case of hepatitis that is caused by alcohol or other toxins, the consumption of such things is prevention. In the case of autoimmune hepatitis, there is no prevention but has treatments.