Chronic hepatitis: drugs, symptoms, causes, etc. & bull; hello healthy

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Definition

What is chronic hepatitis?

Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver. In chronic hepatitis, liver inflammation lasts for at least 6 months. Although it causes mild to moderate symptoms, this chronic liver disease can cause serious complications.

Most people who suffer from this condition experience no symptoms. However, some people experience symptoms similar to those of other illnesses, such as decreased appetite and feeling tired.

If not treated immediately, chronic hepatitis can increase the risk of cirrhosis, enlarged spleen, and decreased brain function.

How common is this condition?

Chronic hepatitis is a common disease and can occur at any age. However, this condition can be overcome by reducing risk factors. Talk to your doctor for more information.

Signs & symptoms

What are the signs and symptoms of chronic hepatitis?

About two-thirds of people, chronic hepatitis will develop gradually. This is what makes some people not experience symptoms of hepatitis until they enter the stage of liver cirrhosis.

Common symptoms that can occur with chronic hepatitis include:

• not feeling well (malaise),
• decreased appetite,
• feel tired,
• low-grade fever,
• enlarged spleen,
• tiny spider-like blood vessels on the skin,
• buildup of fluid in the stomach (ascites)
• upper abdominal pain, and
• yellowing of the skin and membranes of the eyes (jaundice)

There may be signs and symptoms not listed above. If you have concerns about certain symptoms, consult your doctor.

When should I see a doctor?

If you experience one or more of the symptoms that have been mentioned, you should immediately consult a doctor. Everyone's body has a different response to a disease.

In addition, there are a variety of other symptoms that may require treatment from a doctor, namely:

• decreased brain function,
• itchy rash,
• joint pain, and
• Odorous and light-colored bowel movements.

That is why, it is better to discuss with your doctor regarding the right treatment to treat your condition.

Cause

What causes chronic hepatitis?

The cause of developing chronic hepatitis is one of the hepatitis viruses, namely:

• hepatitis B virus,
• hepatitis C virus, and
• hepatitis E virus.

Hepatitis A virus generally does not develop into chronic disease. This also applies to hepatitis D patients because it occurs after experiencing hepatitis B.

Apart from viruses, liver dysfunction can also develop into chronic disease due to other factors and diseases, namely:

• non-alcoholic fatty liver,
• alcoholic hepatitis,
• autoimmune hepatitis,
• use of certain medications, such as isoniazid and methyldopa,
• alpha-1 antitrypsine deficiency,
• celiac disease,
• hemochromatosis,
• primary biliary cholangitis,
• thyroid disorders, and
• Wilson's disease.

Risk factors

What factors increase my risk for this condition?

There are many things that can increase your risk of chronic hepatitis. Here are a number of factors that can increase your risk of developing this chronic disease based on the type of hepatitis virus.

Hepatitis B

• having sex without contraception with multiple partners or people with HBV,
• sharing needles when using injectable or intravenous drugs,
• men who have sex with other men,
• live with people with chronic HBV,
• babies born to infected mothers,
• workers who are frequently exposed to human blood, such as nurses or doctors, and
• travel to an area with a high number of HBV cases, such as Africa.

Hepatitis C

• health care workers exposed to infected blood,
• have ever injected or used illegal drugs,
• HIV sufferers,
• piercing or tattoos in an unsanitary environment,
• received a blood donation or organ transplant before 1992,
• undergoing long-term hemodialysis,
• born to mothers infected with hepatitis C, and
• born when the hepatitis C infection outbreak was widespread, namely between 1945 and 1965.

Diagnosis and treatment

How to diagnose this condition?

The diagnosis of chronic hepatitis is actually the same as a test for hepatitis in general. Your doctor will usually ask you to undergo a certain series of tests when you experience symptoms that don't improve, such as:

• blood tests to check liver function and liver enzymes,
• imaging tests, such as MRI and ultrasound
• liver biopsy, and
• ultrasonography for liver cancer screening.

What are the treatment options for chronic hepatitis?

Treatment of chronic hepatitis depends on the cause. Here are some treatment options that doctors commonly recommend for treating this chronic liver disease.

Hepatitis B drugs and treatment

If hepatitis B develops chronic and triggers severe symptoms, doctors will usually prescribe antiviral drugs, such as:

• entecavir
• tenofovir disoproxil fumarate,
• telbivudine,
• lamivudine, and
• interferon alfa and pegylated interferon alfa.

Some people may experience symptoms of hepatitis B again after being given drugs. That is why drug therapy in hepatitis B is carried out for life.

Hepatitis C drugs and treatment

In contrast to hepatitis B, chronic hepatitis C tends to offer a variety of treatments, depending on the type of virus. The reason is, each type of hepatitis C virus has a different genotype (genetic material).

There are also options for hepatitis C drugs that are usually recommended by doctors, including:

• pegylated interferon alpha,
• a combination of ribavirin and sofosbuvir, or
• protease inhibitors, such as telaprevir, boceprevir, and simeprevir.

Generally, hepatitis treatment will last for 12 to 48 weeks. This treatment aims to remove the virus from the body so that inflammation and scarring can be healed, so that it does not cause cirrhosis.

Autoimmune hepatitis treatment

Autoimmune hepatitis is a non-viral hepatitis disease. This means that doctors will not provide antivirals, but other types of drugs to relieve symptoms, such as:

• corticosteroids, namely prednisone and
• immunosuppressive drugs, namely drugs that suppress the immune system.

Just like hepatitis B, autoimmune hepatitis also requires lifelong treatment because it can cause inflammation to recur.

Treatment of complications

Regardless of the cause or type of viral hepatitis, chronic hepatitis is very likely to cause complications, such as cirrhosis of the liver.

If you already have complications, your doctor may recommend a liver transplant when the liver failure is getting worse.

Always discuss with your doctor regarding the choice of medication and treatment that will be undertaken according to your condition.

Home remedies

What lifestyle changes or home remedies can I take to treat chronic hepatitis?

Apart from getting treatment from a doctor, you also need to change your lifestyle and undergo home remedies to relieve the symptoms you are experiencing.

Home remedies that can help treat chronic hepatitis include:

• stop drinking alcohol,
• avoid drugs that damage the liver,
• cover every wound you have,
• not sharing razors or toothbrushes,
• not donating blood or body organs for a while, and
• having sex with contraceptives, such as condoms.

Is there a way to prevent chronic hepatitis?

Basically, chronic hepatitis sometimes occurs because you don't get immediate treatment. You can prevent this disease from developing into a chronic disease by immediately seeking help from a doctor while it is still in its acute stage.

In addition, you can also find out how to prevent hepatitis in general to avoid this disease, such as getting vaccines and maintaining a healthy liver.

If you have further questions, please contact your doctor to understand the best solution for you.