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Hepatitis
Hepatitis is the inflammation of the liver caused by one or more of several viruses such as hepatitis A through E. Questions about diagnosis, symptoms, causes, transmission, treatments and prevention can be found here.
769 Questions
What are the symptoms of alcoholic hepatitis?
Dangers of Black Cohosh as HRT
Popular Herb Linked to Liver Disease
By Charlene Laino
WebMD Medical News Reviewed by Brunilda Nazario, MD
on Friday, October 17, 2003
Oct 17, 2003 (BALTIMORE) - Black Cohosh, an herbal remedy gaining popularity as a panacea for the hot flashes, mood swings, and other symptoms of menopause, can cause the body's immune system to launch an attack on the liver, doctors warn, Stanley M, Cohan, MD, assistant professor of medicine at the University of Chicago, tells WebMD that he and colleagues have diagnosed what they believe is the first case of autoimmune hepatitis caused by the use of black cohosh. A progressive inflammation of the liver caused by the body's immune system attack on liver cells--- autoimmune hepatitis can cause people to become so tired that even crossing the
room is a chore. Some patients complain of abdominal discomfort, others of achy joints and itching. The skin may become yellow and the liver can become enlarged. Without proper treatment, this serious illness progresses and most people eventually die. The disease is thought to have some genetic link, with women accounting for as many as 70% of the patients. Fortunately, with prompt diagnosis and therapy, most people, including his patients, recover, Cohen says, "If you're taking black cohosh, ask your doctor for liver function tests," he says. His patient had been taking the herb for only a few weeks when symptoms developed. "Black cohosh has the potential for serious side effects," Cohen says. A search of the medical literature revealed five reports of other liver problems associated with the use of black cohosh, he says. Eamonn Quigley, MD, of the department of medicine at Cork University Hospital in Cork, Ireland,.
says that several studies show high use of herbal products among patients with liver disease. "Many (people) have made the assumption that herbal remedies are innocuous, but we now know they are not." he says. The doctors spoke with WebMD at the 68th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology this week. Dr Cohen says that the use of black cohosh has increased since last year, when the large Women's Health Initiative study demonstrated that use of estrogen was associated with an increased risk of breast cancer and heart problems. That led the nation's top doctors to conclude that for many patients the benefits of hormone replacement therapy don't outweigh the risks. "Since then, women have been
looking for other products that can relieve menopausal symptoms," Dr, Cohen said, "and one of the most popular is black cohosh," known scientifically as Aciea racemosa. Catherine Ulbright, PharmD, RPh, founder and editor of the Natural Standard Research Collaboration, which collects data on complementary therapies, says several studies have reported black cohosh to improve menopausal symptoms, including hot flashes, mooddisturbances, palpitations, and vaginal dryness, for up to six months, "But although these initial studies are suggestive, they have been few in number and have universally suffered from weaknesses," says Dr. Ulbright, who is also a senior attending pharmacist at Massachusetts Genera! Hospital in Boston. Also, there have been no studies looking at whether the herb is safe and effective over the long-term, she says. Dr. Cohen says his team i came to the conclusion that their patient , a 57-year-old woman, suffered from black cohosh-induced autoimmune hepatitis after exhaustive examination. The woman, who came in complaining of increasing fatigue and lethargy over the past two weeks, had recently stopped hormone replacement therapy at the advice of her primary physician. She started taking black cohosh three weeks prior to feeling ill, he says. Liver function tests and a liver biopsy revealed abnormalities that are consistent with a diagnosis of drug-induced autoimmune hepatitis, Dr. Cohen says. The woman was told to stop taking the herb and was treated with prescribed steroids. She felt completely better just two weeks later, and liver function tests were back to normal in about nine weeks.
How long can the hep b virus stay alive on an inanimate object?
It can be infectious for about a week,
Yes. The Hepatitis C virus can be circulating in the blood. There are times when the virus may not be at very high levels, which reduces the risk, but usually the viral levels are detectable. Most HCV infections occur due to contact with someone in the chronic phase.
Can you get hepatitis c from someone with hepatitis c?
Yes if you share blood or bodily fluids with the infected person. You can also get it without another person. For instance if you are an intervenes drug user and re-use old needles you can get it from your own blood left in the needle that has brown bacteria.
mostly given and passed thru blood to blood ,,body fluids is veryyy low,,has to be blood to blood,,,
Retention of bile in the body - causing a yellowish color to the skin.
Usually caused by some form of liver failure.
Hepatitis b patients saliva is also dangerous like patients blood?
The hepatitis B virus can be present in an infected persons' saliva. However, it does not appear to be the case that this means an infected patients' saliva is also dangerous, like their blood is.
Why Get the Hepatitis B Vaccine?
To keep from getting hepatitis A
- it is a liver disease from drinking contaminated water/ eating contaminated food.
you should get this shot to decrease the risk of being contaminated (your food may become contaminated but it will prevent you from getting the disease
There are no specific medicines to cure infection with hepatitis A. Most people require no treatment except to relieve symptoms. If you have been exposed to someone who is infected with HAV, there is a treatment that may prevent you from becoming infected. It is called immune globulin and is more likely to be effective when given within 2 weeks of exposure.
Acute hepatitis B usually goes away by itself and does not require medical treatment. If very severe, symptoms such as vomiting or diarrhea may require treatment to restore fluids and electrolytes. There are no medications that can prevent acute hepatitis B from becoming chronic. If you have chronic hepatitis B, you should see your health care provider regularly.
Hepatitis C infection is treated with antiviral medications intended to clear the virus from your body. Your doctor may recommend a combination of medications taken over several weeks. Once you complete a course of treatment, your doctor will test your blood for HCV. If HCV is still present, your doctor may recommend a second round of treatment. Antiviral medications can cause depression and flu-like signs and symptoms, such as fatigue, fever and headache. Some side effects can be serious enough that treatment must be delayed or stopped in certain cases.
Can a person with hepatitis b infect family?
I'm pretty sure they're not contagious but they can pass the disease onto their children if they have any. My older brother is a carrier of tuberculosis but doesn't have any symptoms of it himself and isn't contagious.
Possibility of getting hepatitis b after vaccination?
If a person is infected with Hepatitis B, the vaccine will have no effect. The vaccine contains proteins from the virus, and these are already present in the person's body, and the immune system has already responded to them.
Can Hepatitis B be transmitted through sweat?
The Hepatitus B virus can be caught from mucus or salival contact. So the answer is, yes.
What is a parental transmission infection?
•Parenteral
-Intravenous route
•Direct injection of drug into the blood therefore better regulation of therapeutic levels.
•The First pass effect is avoided and by-pass all barriers
•Rapid drug action
•Used when drug irritates the tissue
•Increased risk of infection, Pain at site of injection, increased risk of overdose.
-Intramuscular route
•Injection into the deltoid muscle region or gluteal mass.
•Rate of absorption determined by blood flow to muscle.
•Used for injection of suspensions and sustained effects
•Avoid the First pass effect
-Subcutaneous route
•Injection into the subcutaneous areolar tissue and skin capillaries
•Implants produce slow release of drug and constant absorption into the blood.
•Avoid First pass effect
•Rate of drug absorption is influenced by blood flow to the skin. Drug absorption is slower than I.M.
-Intradermal route
•Injection into the epidermis of the skin.
•Small amounts of drugs are administered, ie. Local anesthetics, tuberculosis test.
•Avoid First pass effect
Can you drink alcoholic beverages whilst receiving treatment for Hepatitis C?
While I did find several drug interractions for Capecitabine (Xeloda), I could not find anything in any of my books indicating that alcohol should be avoided while taking this medication. But I would strongly advise asking your doctor or pharmacist before drinking while taking this medication. If your regular pharmacy is closed, you can call any late-hours pharmacy and ask the pharmacist on duty. They are usually extremely helpful, even if you are not one of their regular customers (they usually don't even ask if you are or not). Just be sure to let them know of any other meds you may be taking, as well.
How fast does hepatitis reproduce?
Depends on the density of the population in the area and weather (sometimes) and the how lethal the virus is. If a virus is dangerous enough to be called a pandemic, then it would have to have a good way of spreading like airborne or waterborne or carried by insects etc etc.
MY OPINION is that if there were no cure for cold but people continued their normal lives, I am guessing that the whole US will get a case of cold in less than two years.
There is no actual "cure" for any of the Hepatitis viruses other than time and seeing if the person recovers or if they end up developing Chronic Hepatitis.
Azo will help with bladder pain due to inflammation, but is unlikely to help with kidney pain. If you have kidney pain, see your primary health care provider for accurate diagnosis and effective treatment of the underlying cause.
If the person has history of hepatitis can you get hepatitis by swallowing his sperm?
YES! You can get Hepatitis by swallowing semen. You can also get AIDS/HIV.
