HEPATITIS Aand HEPATITIS C

By ifsha akhlaq

HEPATITIS A

Hepatitis A is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis A virus. The virus is spread when an uninfected person ingest food or water that is contaminated with the faeces of an infected person.

EPIDEMIOLOGY

- 1.4 million cases of hepatitis A every year.

- In Shanghai in 1988 about 300,000 people reported with hepatitis A.

- In developing countries about 90% children are affected.

PATHOPHYSIOLOGY

HAV virus acquired by mouth and replicate in liver. After 10-12 days virus present in blood and excreted in the biliary system into are feces.

Virus is present in serum and virus excretion begins to decline in at the onset of clinical illness.

SIGNS & SYMPTOMS

Flu like symptoms (fever, fatigue body aches)

-Abdominal pain -Light colored stool -Dark urine -Loss of appetite -Unexplained weight loss -Jaundice -Malaise -Diarrhea

DIAGNOSTIC TEST

Detection of HAV-specific IgM and IgG antibodies

-Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction

TREATMENT

No specific treatments for hepatitis A but symptoms are treated.

Therapy used to maintain comfort such as replacement of fluids which are lost from vomiting and diarrhea.

HEPATITIS C

A liver disease caused by hepatitis C virus. Virus can cause both acute and chronic hepatitis infection.

EPIDEMIOLOGY

- 130-150 million people have chronic hepatitis C.

- 350000 to 500000 people die in a year.

Most affected regions are Central and East Asia and North Africa.

PATHOPHYSIOLOGY

The natural targets of HCV are hepatocytes and B-lymphocytes. Viral clearance is associated with the development and persistence of strong virus-specific responses by T lymphocytes and helper T cells.

SIGNS & SYMPTOMS

80% patient have no symptoms but some complain of mild to severe systems such as

-Fever -Dark urine -Loss of appetite -Abdominal pain -Joint pain -Jaundice

DIAGNOSTIC TEST

CBC test -Serological test -Nucleic acid test -Genotyping test -Liver function test -Liver biopsy

TREATMENT

Antiviral treatment Bed rest is recommended -Antiviral combination therapy with

interferon and ribavirin.