3. Hepatitis Flashcards
What does hepatitis mean?
Inflammation of the liver
What are the different causes of hepatitis?
- Alcoholic hepatitis
- Non alcoholic fatty liver disease
- Viral hepatitis
- Autoimmune hepatitis
- Drug induced hepatitis (e.g. paracetamol overdose)
How does hepatitis present in a patient?
THEY CAN BE ASYMPTOMATIC
Typical symptoms include;
- RUQ Abdominal pain
- Fatigue
- Pruritus (itching)
- Muscle and joint aches
- Nausea and vomiting
- Jaundice
- Fever (in viral hepatitis)
What is classed as acute hepatitis and what is classed as chronic hepatitis?
Anything under 6 months is acute, and anything over 6 months is chronic
How does a patient with acute hepatitis present?
Regardless of the cause, all patients with acute hepatitis present the same.
- generally unwell
- jaundiced
- RUQ pain
What would you expect from a blood test of someone with acute hepatitis?
- Raised AST and ALT above 1000
- High bilirubin
How does a patient with chronic hepatitis present?
As chronic involves low-grade inflammation, these individuals don’t normally present with symptoms, and instead are picked up through screening.
What would you expect from a blood test of someone with chronic hepatitis?
Blood tests show mild elevation of ALT
What is fulminant hepatitis?
Fulminant hepatitis is when the acute hepatitis gets worse, and is associated with liver failure. It is defined as the development of encephalopathy within 28 days of jaundice, but it has to be acute liver disease. ie. If someone came in with the first presentation of alcohol related liver disease, it would not be called fulminant hepatitis as the alcohol related problem has been there for a lot longer than 28 days.
How does a patient with fulminant hepatitis present?
Same as acute (generally unwell, jaundiced, RUQ pain) PLUS
- bruising (due to coagulopathy)
- Confusion (due to hepatic encephalopathy)
What would you expect from a blood test of someone with fulminant hepatitis?
Same as acute hepatitis (Raised AST and ALT above 1000 + High bilirubin) PLUS
- Coagulopathy
- Signs of renal failure
What is the management of someone with fulminant hepatitis?
They have a very poor prognosis, with the patient requiring an urgent liver transplant, or it results in death.
How are the levels of hepatitis A worldwide and in the UK?
Worldwide - Most common viral hepatitis
UK - relatively rare with under 1000 cases a year
What type of virus is hepatitis A?
RNA virus
How is hepatitis A transmitted?
Faecal-oral route usually by contaminated water or food
What does it indicate if someone has a distaste of cigarretes?
Hepatitis
How do you treat hepatitis A?
It normally resolves itself without treatment in 99% of individuals
For the 1%, these people normally have underlying liver conditions, and they go on to get fulminant hepatitis, so require a liver transplant.
Is a vaccination available for hepatitis A?
Yes, and it is typically offered to those travelling, or with another liver disease present
How long does it take before viral markers are detected in the blood in hepatitis A?
After 2 weeks, IgM antibodies build up in the blood, and they peak at 4 weeks
What happens to IgG antibodies in hepatitis A?
They very slowly increase from around 2 weeks onwards, and they surpass the levels of IgM by around the 8th week
If someone is IgM positive for hepatitis, what does this indicate?
IgM is the first viral marker made, so therefore it is indicative of an acute infection
If someone is IgG positive, and IgM negative for hepatitis, then what is this a sign of?
A previous hepatitis infection
Who do you need to inform if someone has viral hepatitis? For which viral hepatitis?
Public Health need to be informed of any viral hepatitis cases in the UK
What type of virus is hepatitis B?
DNA virus