Hepatitis is classified as a virus causing inflammation of the liver. It can be both acute, lasting less than six months and healing on its own, or chronic, lasting longer and can be fatal. There are many strands of the virus throughout the world today, however we will be focusing on the most common: hepatitis A, B, and C. It is estimated that just over 3% of the worlds population carries a strain of the virus, most not even being aware of it. It can lie dormant for decades, slowly eating away at you liver without any physical symptoms. In this article we will examine the three strains in depth, and provide pictures to better illustrate.

Hepatitis A, the least severe of the three, is transmitted by a fecal to oral route. The most common ways to become infected is consuming contaminated food or water, eating raw sea food, or sexually. Due to its nature, it is much more common in third world countries. Hepatitis B can be transmitted via blood transfusions, tattoos, and even from breastfeeding a child. However it is commonly referred to as an STD, or sexually transmitted disease – as that is the most common way to get it. Many people refer to it as an STI, or sexually transmitted infect. Similar to B, hepatitis C can be transmitted though blood. However, this is the only way it can be transmitted.

Hepatitis A takes between 15-45 days to between the time of infection, and the start of the illness. Within a week, jaundice will set in, causing a yellowing of the skin and eyes. This strain of the virus does not have a chronic stage, and there exists a vaccination that will permanently prevent the illness. Symptoms are as follows:
• Fatigue
• Fever
• Abdominal pain
• Nausea
• Diarrhea
• Appetite loss
• Depression
• Jaundice
• Weight loss
• Sharp pains in upper right side of abdomen

Unlike hepatitis A, hepatitis B can be either acute or chronic. Over 95% of adults who contract the virus will clear it and build up the appropriate anti-bodies. This number severely drops the younger you are. Newborns only have a 5% chance of clearing the virus on their own. Symptoms differ depending on whether it is acute or chronic. Acute symptoms include:
• Ill health
• Loss of appetite
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• General pains
• Mild fever
• Dark Urine
• Jaundice

However if the virus moves into the chronic stage, you liver will become inflamed permanently, which will lead to cirrhosis. Although there is chance of the virus being fatal, a low percentage of cases turn out this way. Hepatitis C can also be acute or chronic. Acute hepatitis C is often mistaken for the flu, as symptoms are very similar. In fact, 60% of the people who have contracted acute hepatitis C never even knew they had it, as it often goes misdiagnosed. However symptoms can be any of the following:
• Decreased apatite
• Fatigue

• Abdominal pain
• Itchiness
• Jaundice

Chronic hepatitis C, clinically speaking, has a habit of only being found by accident – as it can go years without any symptoms at all. Like all forms of hepatitis, your liver becomes inflamed, impairing its ability to work effectively. Unfortunately, the virus can eventually lead to any number of things if left untreated, including liver cancer, cirrhosis, and fatal scarring of the liver.

A simple blood test can tell if you are infected with any kind of hepatitis. If results come back positive, your doctor will identify which type it is and offer you the best course of treatment. Sometime, a liver biopsy is required to determine the severity of the disease. If required, you doctor will give you a local anesthetic, and insert a small needle into your liver to retrieve a tissue sample, which they can then study under a microscope. For acute versions of the A and B strain, plenty or rest and fluids is all that is needed to clear out the virus.

If you are infected with chronic hepatitis, your doctor may advise weekly injections of pegylated interferon alfa, along with twice-daily oral doses of ribavirin. With luck, the combined efforts of the medicine will clear the virus from the bloodstream completely, or at a minimum greatly slow the virus down. If you liver is fatally damaged, you will be put on a liver transplant list and await surgery. If a donor is found in time, and the virus can be or has been cleared from your system, you can expect a full recovery.