The liver fights infections and stops bleeding.
A virus is a germ that causes sickness.
(For example, the flu is caused by a virus.)
Hepatitis B is spread by contact with an infected person's blood, semen,
or other body fluid.
If you have symptoms, or think you might have hepatitis B, go to a doctor.
Hepatitis B is treated through shots of medicine.
A vaccine is a drug that you take when you are healthy that keeps you
from getting sick.
The individuals listed here provided editorial guidance or facilitated
field testing for this publication.
(NIDDK). The NIDDK is part of the National Institutes of Health under
the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Established in 1980,
the clearinghouse provides information about digestive diseases to people
with digestive disorders and to their families, health care professionals,
and the public. NDDIC answers inquiries, develops and distributes publications,
and works closely with professional and patient organizations and Government
agencies to coordinate resources about digestive diseases. Publications
produced by the clearinghouse are carefully reviewed by both NIDDK scientists
and outside experts. This publication is not copyrighted. The clearinghouse
encourages users of this booklet to duplicate and distribute as many copies
as desired. This booklet is also available at www.niddk.nih.gov under
"Health Information."
doc59
http://www.healthandage.com/html/well_connected/pdf/doc59.pdf WHAT IS HEPATITIS AND WHAT ARE ITS CAUSES?
Hepatitis is a disorder in which viruses or other mechanisms produce inflammation
in liver cells, resulting in their injury or destruction.
Acute hepatitis B is generally mild, but it can be lethal in about 1%
of patients.
A triple-antigen hepatitis B vaccine (Hepacare) is proving to be effective
for people who do not respond to the standard vaccines.
Hepatitis C was formerly called non-A non-B hepatitis.
It is currently not possible to predict which patients will develop the
chronic form of hepatitis C.
The natural interferons being used for chronic hepatitis B, C or both
are called type I interferons.
vis-hep-a
http://www.cdc.gov/nip/publications/VIS/vis-hep-a.pdf Hepatitis A is a serious liver disease caused by the hepatitis
A virus (HAV).
A person who has hepatitis A can easily pass the disease to others within
the same household.
Hepatitis A vaccine can prevent hepatitis A.
· Persons who live in communities with high rates of hepatitis A:
for example, American Indian, Alaska Native, and Pacific Islander communities
and some religious communities.
People who have ever had a serious allergic reaction to a previous dose
of hepatitis A vaccine should not get another dose.
People with moderate or severe illnesses should usually wait until they
recover.
Your doctor or nurse can advise you.
The risk of hepatitis A vaccine causing serious harm, or death, is extremely
small.
1997_ndr_hepatitis
http://healthweb.nashville.org/Web
Docs/pdf copies/notifiable_diseases/1997_ndr_hepatitis.pdf Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver.
(It is important to note when examining the data for hepatitis that the
contents of the category varied during the period under study as the reporting
requirements changed and the availability of testing for hepatitis C became
available. Hepatitis A, B, and NonANonB are included in the totals for
years 1990 through and including 1996. In 1992, one hundred twenty-nine
cases were reported as hepatitis unspecified. The totals for years 1996
and 1997 include cases of hepatitis C.)
In 1997, Davidson County ranked second highest among the four large metropolitan
areas in Tennessee for total reported hepatitis cases, second only to
Memphis.
tested
Hepatitis C (HCV) is a viral infection that is spread through
blood to blood contact.
It is estimated that up to 80% of injecting drug users may be infected.
Treatment to get rid of the virus is available, although it does not work
for everyone.
Some contacts have a higher risk than others.
The PCR test is done automatically on the same blood sample when the antibody
test is found to be positive.
If you are concerned about the result being available in your medical
records then you can get an anonymous test at the Regional Infectious
Diseases Unit (RIDU), Western General Hospital, Edinburgh or at the Genito-Urinary
Medicine Department, Lauriston Building, Edinburgh.
Hepatitis_Tetanus
In this, our first in a series of planned articles covering
workplace vaccination programs, we are looking at three diseases which
have the potential to impact across the whole workforce hepatitis A &
B and tetanus.
While tetanus has been largely contained by effective national immunization
programs, it is important to remain vigilant and ensure workers have the
best protection possible against this serious and highly fatal disease.
Aside from the risk hepatitis can pose to a range of occupations; it is
also the commonest vaccine-preventable infection facing travellers.
Death can result from asyphxia, pneumonia or low blood pressure and pulmonary
oedema (excess fluid on the lungs).
HEPA
Wash soiled clothes, bedding and towels on a "hot cycle"
of the washing machine.
Cases of Hepatitis A in homoual males are increasing in the United
Kingdom at present so immunisation should be sought by those whose ual
behaviour may place them at risk.
From contaminated food and water e.g. shell fish From travelling to another
country where Hepatitis A is more common than in the UK.
YES - for seven days after the start of symptoms e.g. jaundice.
Hepatitis A spreads from the bowel to the hands so good handwashing after
going to the toilet is the most important way of preventing spread.
HepB_Summary
http://www.iom.edu/iom/iomhome.nsf/WFiles/HepB_Summary/$file/HepB_Summary.PDF National Academies, evaluated whether or not the hepatitis
B vaccine can cause neurological disorders.
In Immunization Safety Review: Hepatitis B Vaccine and Demyelinating Neurological
Disorders, the IOM committee carefully examines this hypothesized link
and addresses other vaccinesafety issues.
Immunization advisory bodies recommend that all infants, adolescents,
and high-risk adults receive the hepatitis B vaccine for protection from
serious liver disease, including cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma.
The committee found evidence that some parents and health care workers
are skeptical about the vaccine due more to a perception that the vaccine
is unnecessary, rather than due to a large concern about the safety of
the vaccine.
hepc
http://www2.state.id.us/dhw/cdp/diseasecards/hepc.pdf Hepatitis C is caused by a virus that infects the liver.
The hepatitis C virus can be found in human body fluids such as blood,
semen, vaginal secretions and menstrual blood.
Most people who get hepatitis C will have the virus in their body for
their entire life and can pass it to someone else, even if they are no
longer sick.
Your health care provider may put you in the hospital if you are very
sick or are throwing up a lot.
A person who has the virus may continue to have the infection or may have
recurring infections (get hepatitis C infections over and over) throughout
their life.
hepbform
To protect your enrollment you must complete and return the
Hepatitis B Immunity Statement.
The California State Legislature has mandated first-time enrollees at
the University of California who are under 19 years of age to provide
proof of immunization against Hepatitis B as a condition of enrollment.
The vaccine is a series of three doses: The second dose is given one month
after the first, and the final dose is given five months after the second
dose.
Note that your health provider's signature is required for all sections
except #5.
If necessary, the series may be completed at University Health Services
(for a fee) once you arrive on campus.
01-201
Interferon- therapy has become the standard treatment for patients
with chronic viral hepatitis.1 However, many adverse effects have been
reported, such as flu-like illness, bone marrow suppression, vitiligo,
alopecia, retinal disease and neuropsychiatric symptoms.2 Autoimmune phenomenas,
such as thyroiditis,3,4 hepatitis,5 and lupus-like illness,6,7 immune
hemolytic anemia and immune thrombocytopenia,8-9 have also been reported
but are rare.
We report a case of interferon- -induced autoimmune hepatitis which occurred
in a patient treated for chronic myelogenous leukema (CML), who showed
good response to therapy with prednisone.
At the time of initiation of interferon therapy, liver function tests
were completely normal and laboratory analysis after two months showed
no significant change.
Liver enzyme elevation was observed in May 1998 (five months after interferon-
therapy was started and without any symptoms or signs of liver disease
AST=158 U/L, AP=141 U/L, bilirubin=6 mol/L).
hep c info
Hepatitis C virus infection is most common among non-Caucasian
men, ages 30 to 49 years.
In 1999, the first year hepatitis C was reported separately, there were
3,759 deaths attributed to HCV, although this is likely an underestimate.
studies have uniformly shown a signi ficant decrement in the subjective
health and quality of life in patients with hepatitis C, although the
effect of frequently co-existing morbidities such as chemical dependence
or depression is difficult to assess separately.
Chronic HCV infection is common, affecting nearly 2% of the general population
and a much higher percentage of people under special circumstances, such
as the homeless and incarcerated.
therapy
http://www.natap.org/2001/apr/therapy.pdf In this issue of H EPATOLOGY, Ikeda et al. 1 describe use of
long-term maintenance therapy with beta-interferon to prevent recurrent
hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after surgical resection or alcohol ablation
of primary HCC in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV).
Twenty patients, 10 per group, were randomly assigned to either beta-interferon
or no treatment after potentially curative surgery (n 5 16) or alcohol
ablation (n 5 4).
The two groups were well matched in terms of demographics, hepatitis serology,
HCV-RNA positivity, and percent cirrhosis (85% overall).
In general, treatment was well-tolerated, with few patients requiring
dose reductions.
However, one patient was discontinued from treatment for spontaneous retinal
hemorrhage after 19 months of interferon.
Hepatitis-B-Fact-Sheet
presence of hepatitis B or other liver disease.
be used in the event of liver cancer, which is often fatal.
with hepatitis B infection, contact your health care professional.
The University of New Hampshire's Office of Environmental Health and Safety
has produced this pamphlet on hepatitis B virus to increase awareness
and prevention.
It is caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV), which belongs to the family
of hepadnaviridae viruses.
worldwide and is considered one of the most common human pathogens.
direct contact with infected blood or body fluids.
The HBV vaccine has been available since 1982, and is considered extremely
safe and effective.
chronic_hepatitis
Many individuals who become infected with hepatitis B virus
(HBV) or hepatitis C virus (HCV) develop chronic liver disease that can
gradually lead to serious liver damage.
About 5% of Americans have been infected with HBV and 1.25 million have
chronic HBV infection.
HBV is transmitted when people share drug solution, syringes, and other
drug use equipment (water, drug solution containers, and cotton filters)
that are contaminated with HBV-infected blood.
· Most important of all is to not drink alcoholic beverages, and
if necessary, get into treatment, because alcohol makes liver disease
worse.
Antiviral therapy is available for chronic hepatitis B and chronic hepatitis
C Though antiviral therapy is available, it is not recommended for all
chronically infected people.
