PORTAL MyHEALTH Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia
What is Hepatitis
Hepatitis is a liver disease. It is due to inflammation of the liver.
It can be caused by viruses, medications (including complementary herbal medications), alcohol, a person own immunity and others.
A common cause of hepatitis in Malaysia is viral hepatitis.
There are many types of viral hepatitis, the common ones are :
- Hepatitis A caused by hepatitis A virus
- Hepatitis B caused by hepatitis B virus
- Hepatitis C caused by hepatitis C virus
What are the warning signs of Hepatitis?
Many people have no symptoms. If symptoms are present they are the same for the different causes of hepatitis
The symptoms are:
- tiredness
- loss of appetite
- nausea
- vomiting
- abdominal pain
- yellow discolouration of the white of the eyes, skin
- tea-coloured urine
- pale or clay-coloured stool
What are the complications of chronic Hepatitis?
Hepatitis B and C can be come chronic (ie infection persisting for more than 6 months). Chronic Hepatitis can cause inflammation leading to significant damage to the liver. If the damaged liver is replaced by fibrous tissue, this may lead to severe scarring, called liver cirrhosis.
Additional symptoms and complications with liver cirrhosis ascites :
- abdominal swelling (ascites)
- easy bruising
- altered behaviour or alertness (encaphalophaty)
- vomiting of blood
- passing of black tarry stool
- liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma)
- death
When the cirrhotic liver cannot maintain its function or the above complications become uncontrollable, some patients will need a new liver (liver transplantation).
Hepatitis A
What is hepatitis A?
Hepatitis A is contracted by eating food or drinking water that has been contaminated by the hepatitis A virus. Hepatitis A virus is found in the stool of persons with hepatitis A infection.
The symptoms of hepatitis usually appear at 15 to 45 days following exposure. Apart from the symptoms of hepatitis above, some may have diarrhea and fever. However some cases the symptoms are mild or absent. Older persons tend to have more severe symptoms than children. Those with severe symptoms and liver inflammations may require hospital admission. Acute hepatitis A usually resolves within 6 months and does not develop into chronic liver disease apart from a small percentage who may have a more prolonged relapsing illness.
Who is at risk of getting hepatitis A?
- consuming food or drinks prepared by infected food handlers with poor hygeine.
- household or sex contacts of infected persons
- men having sex with men
What should I do if I have viral hepatitis A?
If you suspect that you may have been infected by hepatitis A virus :
Consult your doctor
Your doctor will assess and examine you.
The doctor will also do blood tests including specific test for hepatitis A.
You may need hospital admission if your liver is not functioning well.
Most people only need symptomatic treatment and a period of monitoring.
There is a small chance of very severe hepatitis A infection whereby your life may be at risk.
Usually you do not need long term follow up.
Protect your family or loved ones
Good personal hygiene with proper hand washing and sanitation can help prevent hepatitis A. Wash your hands with soap and water after using the toilet and before preparing food or eating.
Vaccines are available for long term protection.
Hepatitis B
What is Hepatitis B?
Hepatitis B is a common cause of liver disease in Malaysia.It can be transmitted through body fluid like blood and semen.
The symptoms of hepatitis usually appear at 25 to 180 days following exposure. These may also include joint and muscle ache. However some do not have any symptoms.
Hepatitis B virus infection unlike hepatitis A can lead to chronic disease and liver cirrhosis.
In our population hepatitis B is usually transmitted at birth or early childhood. Infection at that age has a very high chance of developing chronic disease.
Who is at risk of getting hepatitis B?
- any person with a family member or sexual partner infected with hepatitis B.
- living in the same house with someone who has hepatitis B infection
- baby born to infected mothers
- health care workers or anyone whose work involves contact with human blood
- people with multiple sex partners
- injection drug users
- people who had blood transfusion before 1972
Hepatitis B is not spread through food or water, sharing eating or drinking utensils, coughing, sneezing or by casual contact.
What should I do if I have viral hepatitis B?
If you suspect that you may have been infected by hepatitis B virus :
Consult a doctor
Your doctor will assess and examine you.
The doctor may do blood tests including specific test for hepatitis B and an ultrasound of your liver.
In some cases you may need a liver biopsy, a procedure whereby a small liver tissue is taken for further tests.
You may need hospital admission if your liver is not functioning well. Otherwise you may be seen and followed up in the clinics.
It is important to consult a doctor because viral hepatitis can be treated. Treatment can prevent complications. The treatments available are in the form of injections or tablets.
However some people do not need treatment yet but it is still important to continue follow up because the condition may change and require treatment at some stage or you may need to be screened regularly for complications especially liver cancer.
Protect your family or loved ones :
- You should inform your family members (parents, siblings, spouse and children) and any other household members to get themselves tested. If they are tested positive they need to consult a doctor. If they are tested negative they may need to be protected against hepatitis B virus by vaccination.
- You should always practice safe sex.
- You should never share objects that may have blood on them (for example: needles, razors, toothbrushes, nail clippers)
- You should wipe any blood spilled yourself. Use household bleach (1 part into 10 parts of water) for disinfection and throw the tissue paper or cloth contaminated with blood into a plastic bag. Tie the plastic bag and discard it into the dustbin. Cover your cut with a plaster.
- If you are pregnant, your newborn baby must be given 2 injections( first dose of hepatitis B vaccine and hepatitis B immune globulin) at birth and then complete the whole hepatitis B vaccination.
Looking after yourself :
- adopt a healthy lifestyle
- avoid alcohol
- do not take any tablets without informing your doctor that you have viral hepatitis
- follow your doctor’s advice
Hepatitis C
What is Hepatitis C?
Hepatitis C can be transmitted through body fluid like blood and semen. Majority of persons infected with hepatitis C do not have any symptoms. Compared to Hepatitis B this is less common in Malaysia. However infection with hepatitis C leads to chronic liver disease and can cause liver cirrhosis with its complications.
Who is at risk of getting hepatitis C?
- injection drugs users
- people who had blood transfusion before 1994
- haemodialysis patients
- any person with a sexual partner infected with hepatitis C.
- health care workers or anyone whose work involves contact with human blood
- people with multiple sex partners
- baby born to infected mother but the risk is very low (about 4%)
What should I do if I have viral hepatitis C?
If you suspect that you may have been infected by hepatitis C virus :
Consult a doctor
Your doctor will assess and examine you.
The doctor may do blood tests including specific test for hepatitis C and an ultrasound of your liver.
In some cases you may need a liver biopsy, a procedure whereby a small liver tissue is taken for further tests.
You may need hospital admission if your liver is not functioning well. Otherwise you may be seen and followed up in the clinics.
It is important to consult a doctor because Hepatitis C can be treated. Treatment can prevent complications. The treatments consist of injections and tablets.
You may need to be screened regularly for complications especially liver cancer.
Protect your family or loved ones :
There is no vaccine for Hepatitis C.
- You should inform your family members (parents, siblings, spouse and children) and any other household members to get themselves tested. If they are tested positive they need to consult a doctor.
- The risk of spreading Hepatitis C by sex is less, however if you are having sex with more than one sex partner you are recommended to use condom.
- You should never share objects that may have blood on them (for example: needles, razors, toothbrushes, nail clippers).
- You should wipe any blood spilled yourself. Use household bleach (1 part into 10 parts of water) for disinfection and throw the tissue paper or cloth contaminated with blood into a plastic bag. Tie the plastic bag and discard it into the dustbin. Cover your cut with a plaster.
Looking after yourself :
- adopt a healthy lifestyle.
- avoid alcohol.
- Do not take any tablets without informing your doctor that you have viral hepatitis.
- follow your doctor’s advice.
Support group
Malaysian Liver Foundation.
| Last Reviewed | : | 26 April 2012 |
| Writer | : | Dr. Tan Soek Siam |
| Reviewer | : | Dr. Muhaini Othman |
