CHECK Berlin #4

ENGLISH
HEALTH
A
THE HEPATITIS
ALPHABET
The term “hepatitis” refers to an inflammatory disease of the liver caused by a viral
infection. Most of you have probably come across this term before.
THE LETTERS INDICATE THE TYPE OF
INFECTION
When planning a vacation trip to warmer climates,
it’s common to come across vaccination recommendations
for hepatitis A and B. But the terms
hepatitis C, D and E (recently even F and G) are also
familiar. Quite the alphabet soup! But what do the
letters in the appendix mean? The letters indicate
the type of viral infection that causes inflammation
of the liver. The virus strains in this disease are just
as diverse as the route of infection, the symptoms,
and their treatability.
HEPATITIS A AND B
While hepatitis A viruses are transmitted through
contact with contaminated water or food, the hepatitis
B virus enters the body through the exchange
of body fluids such as blood, semen, saliva, or breast
milk. However, there are effective vaccinations for
both and they are generally easy to treat.
HEPATITIS C
The situation is different with the hepatitis C
virus. Like Hepatitis B, it is also transmitted
through bodily fluids, but primarily
through blood. There is no vaccination
against it and, in contrast to his letter
friends A and B, Hepatitis C is often asymptomatic
at the beginning, but eventually
leads to a chronic disease of the liver with
serious consequences for the patient.
Most of them notice a hepatitis C infection
only through a pain in the right upper
abdomen or a general feeling of exhaustion.
The liver values ​are only slightly
increased during the acute phase, so that
many infections go unnoticed.
If left untreated, the infection can cause
severe liver damage in the long run, which
can lead to cirrhosis of the liver (irreversible
liver damage) and, in rare cases, to
liver cancer.
SYMPTOMS OF HEPATITIS C
Graphic: Olga_stock.adobe.com
38 CHECK | AUSGABE 4