Hepatitis

Hepatitis simply means inflammation of the liver.  Hepatitis is classified as follows:
1. Infectious hepatitis:  This is when the cause of the disease is a hepatitis virus.  Infectious hepatitis is likely to spread from one person to another.  It includes; hepatitis A,B,C,D and E respectively.
2. Non-infectious hepatitis:  This type is caused by non-pathogenic factors such as alcohol, toxins (poisons), medications etc.  Example include; auto-immune hepatitis, alcoholic hepatitis etc.
3. Acute hepatitis:  It develops suddenly, is usually severe and last for a short time.
4. Chronic hepatitis:  This may show no symptoms until damage starts affecting liver function.  It develops gradually and persists over a long period.
Symptoms of Acute Hepatitis
*  Fatigue
*  Pale stool
*  Loss of appetite
*  Dark urine
*  Abdominal pain
*  Flu-like symptoms
*  Yellow skin and eyes
*  Unexplained weight loss
*  Vomiting
Symptoms of Chronic Hepatitis
*  Upper abdominal discomfort
*  Low grade fever
*  Poor appetite
*  Fatigue
*  Jaundice is rare
Diagnosis
1.  Physical Examination:  Liver checkup, abdominal pain etc.
2.  Laboratory Examination
i Complete Blood Count (CBC)
ii.  Liver Function Test (LFT)
iii. Abdominal ultrasound and CT scans
iv.  Liver Biopsy