Hepatitis, a silent and highly contagious virus

• According to scientific studies, people can reduce their risk of contracting this disease by having protected sex and not sharing needles or personal care items with an infected person.

Hepatitis is a silent disease. Because symptoms take time to appear, patients may meanwhile develop chronic liver inflammation, which spreads when an infected person’s blood enters the bloodstream of someone who is not infected.

According to statistics published by the World Health Organization, as of January 2020 more than 200 million people worldwide were infected with the hepatitis B virus, but only some of them knew their diagnosis.

In this regard, to mark “World Hepatitis Day” on 28 July, specialists from around the world are seeking to raise public awareness of the effects of this disease, of which five viruses are known, classified by the letters A to E.

There are many ways of becoming infected, starting at birth, as it has been shown that a pregnant woman with hepatitis B can pass it on to her baby. Other ways are through contaminated needles, sharing personal care items such as razors and toothbrushes with an infected person, or having unprotected sex.

To diagnose the disease, the doctor asks about the patient’s medical history and recommends a physical examination, imaging tests and blood tests, including viral hepatitis tests.

Generally, hepatitis A and E cause short-term acute infections that the body can overcome. However, types B, C and D cause infections that can become chronic in the long term.

How can it be prevented? is another question many people ask. On this particular point, Dr. William D. Carey, M.D., of Cleveland Clinic Florida says there are many ways to reduce the chances of contracting hepatitis. These include “getting the hepatitis A and hepatitis B vaccines; using condoms during sex; practising good personal hygiene; washing hands thoroughly with soap and water; not using an infected person’s personal items; and drinking bottled water when travelling”.

Symptoms, management and treatment

Although not all patients with hepatitis have the same symptoms, the most common are dark urine, stomach pain, yellow skin, low-grade fever, loss of appetite, fatigue and joint pain.

So far, there is no treatment to cure hepatitis A. That’s why gastroenterologist William D. Carey, M.D., of Cleveland Clinic Florida, says “if you know you have hepatitis A early enough, you may be able to stop the infection by getting a dose of the hepatitis A vaccine or something called hepatitis A immune globulin”.

If these symptoms persist, the doctor will prescribe one or a combination of direct-acting antiviral medicines. Liver specialist Christina Lindenmeyer says these medicines are highly effective at eliminating the disease.

She added that over the last five years they have been a revolution in the treatment of hepatitis C. “There are several highly effective oral products available”, says Dr. Carey, adding that if “you take a single pill for eight weeks, or sometimes 12 weeks, it will cure more than 95 per cent of hepatitis C infections”.

As Dr. Carey explains, although the liver can take several months to heal, most people recover fully from hepatitis C. At this stage, careful monitoring of liver function is important.

The specialist said that “to help improve your health and speed up your recovery, I recommend avoiding alcohol, eating well, resting, and talking to your healthcare provider about your over-the-counter medicines or vitamins and supplements to find out which to take and which to avoid until you recover”.

In the Dominican Republic, according to World Health Organization data from 2017, more than 300,000 people were estimated to be infected.