Different types of viral Hepatitis

Types of hepatitis

A) Hepatitis A

• It is the inflammation of liver from the hepatitis A virus.
• HEA virus is generally found in the stools and blood of an infected person about 15- 45 days before symptoms occur and during the first week of illness.
• Usually spread by fecal-oral contact, or fecal-infected food and water.
• It is the least serious and mildest of these diseases.
• The other hepatitis infections may become chronic illness but hepatitis A does not become chronic.

B) Hepatitis B

• It is inflammation of the liver from the hepatitis B virus.
• This virus has highest concentration in blood and in lower concentration in other body fluids like semen, vaginal secretions, and wound exudates.
• Hepatitis B virus gets transmitted from one person to another through blood and body fluids exposure such as blood, semen, vaginal secretions, or saliva.
• Infants may also develop the disease if they are born to a mother who has the virus.
• It has a wide range of clinical presentations.
• It may cause chronic hepatitis, can be mild, without symptoms and, in some cases, can lead to full blown liver failure and death.

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C) Hepatitis C

• It is the inflammation of liver by hepatitis C virus.
• This virus can be found in body fluids, other than blood, including saliva, semen, menstrual fluid, spinal fluid, ascites fluid, and urine.
• Hepatitis C is transmitted primarily from contact with infected blood, but can also transfer from sexual contact or from an infected mother to her baby.
• The symptoms are mild and gradual in case of hepatitis C.
• Children often show no symptoms at all. Though Hepatitis C has milder symptoms initially, it can lead to chronic liver disease in a majority of people who are infected.
• Hepatitis C is the leading indication for liver transplantation.
• People with alcoholic liver disease also tend to develop hepatitis C.

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D) Hepatitis D

• Also known as “delta hepatitis” caused by a virus called hepatitis D virus (HDV).
• Only in the presence of hepatitis B, this form of hepatitis generally occurs..
• The time of hepatitis D occurence is same as the initial infection with B or it may show up much later.
• Hepatitis D can be transmitted in the same way as hepatitis B, except the transmission from mother to baby is less common.

E) Hepatitis E

• This form of hepatitis is similar to hepatitis A which is caused by a virus called hepatitis E virus (HEV).
• Transmission occurs through fecal-oral contamination.
• It is less common than hepatitis A.
• Hepatitis E is most common in poorly developed countries and rarely seen in the United States.
• The prevalence is highest in East and south Asia.

G) Hepatitis G

• Newest strain of hepatitis and very little is known about it.
• Transmission is believed to occur through blood.

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• These are mostly common and noticeable in IV drug users, individuals with clotting disorders such as hemophilia, and individuals who require hemodialysis for renal failure.
• Often hepatitis G shows no clinical symptoms.

References:

i) https://www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/hepatitis

ii) https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/145869

Different types of viral Hepatitis