Hepatitis in brief

Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver that is caused by a variety of infectious viruses and noninfectious agents leading to a range of health problems, some of which can be fatal. There are five main strains of the hepatitis virus, referred to as types A, B, C, D and E. While they all cause liver disease, they differ in important ways including modes of transmission, severity of the illness, geographical distribution and prevention methods. In particular, types B and C lead to chronic disease in hundreds of millions of people and together are the most common cause of liver cirrhosis, liver cancer and viral hepatitis-related deaths. An estimated 354 million people worldwide live with hepatitis B or C, and for most, testing and treatment remain beyond reach.

Viral hepatitis is an iceberg phenomenon, where there are fewer patients who are registered or who come to health services than the actual number of patients. This disease is a chronic disease, when a person has been infected, he/she is still healthy and has not shown the typical symptoms and signs, but the transmission continues.

Source:
www.who.int
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