Understanding the different types of hepatitis

While some types of hepatitis bring on a flulike illness and disappear, others cause chronic liver disease that can prompt life-threatening complications. Here's what you need to know about the different strains of hepatitis.

Hepatitis means "inflammation of the liver," and it is usually caused by an infection from one of the hepatitis viruses.

• These organisms zero in on your liver and multiply, inflaming it and causing potential damage.
• Other infections, medications, exposure to toxic chemicals, immune system disturbances or years of alcohol abuse may also be responsible.
• A truly vital organ for cleansing your body of wastes and promoting digestion, your liver secretes a yellow fat-digesting substance called bile. If the liver becomes inflamed by hepatitis, bile backs up, giving your skin and eyes a yellowish tinge called jaundice.
• You may feel tired, feverish, nauseated, achy or itchy, with a nagging abdominal pain on your right side, where your liver is located.
• Your disease may be short-lived (acute) or persistent (chronic).
• There are a number of different forms of hepatitis, each with its own treatment plan.

The most common type, hepatitis A, may make you very sick for several weeks, but it’s usually temporary, with no lasting damage.

• There are no specific drugs or treatments, other than limiting your activities, eating small meals to keep up your strength and abstaining from alcohol and all sexual contact while you're ill.
• Your doctor will also review any medicines or supplements you are taking, because some may compromise your liver.
• Family members and those in close contact with you will need a protective shot of an immune-boosting substance called immune globulin within 14 days so that they don't catch what you have.

Spread through blood and sexual contact, hepatitis B may lead to a chronic, simmering liver infection.

• Long-term treatment with antiviral drugs can help halt progression of the disease.

Now the leading cause of chronic hepatitis in Canada, hepatitis C is considered a "stealth infection" because most people don't even know they have it.

• Many became infected by transfusions prior to 1990, before sophisticated blood screening techniques were widely used.
• Effective treatment is at hand.

Also called delta virus and found in the blood, hepatitis D piggybacks on the hepatitis B virus, causing a "super infection" that may progress quite rapidly.

• Antiviral interferon treatments may help.

Rare in North America (but common in developing countries) and spread through tainted water, hepatitis E may cause an acute, flulike illness.

• It does not usually cause lasting damage but may be especially dangerous if you are pregnant.

• Discovered in 1995, hepatitis G is found in up to two percent of the population, but does not appear to cause liver disease.

Hepatitis can be a dangerous disease, but new therapies are proving effective for such stubborn infections, even offering a cure for some. Keep this guide in mind and contact your doctor for more information and treatment options.