Hepatitis Flashcards
What is Hepatitis?
Inflammation of the liver
11 types
What are the different types of viral hepatitis?
Hepatitis A
Hepatitis B
Hepatitis C
Hepatitis D
Hepatitis E
Hepatitis F
Hepatitis G
Hepatitis X (does not exist as yet to encounter)
Cytomegalovirus (CMV)
Epstein-Barr virus (EBV; glandular fever virus)
Herpex Simplex
3 types
Which viral hepatitis transmit parentally (via bloodstream, transfusions, IV injections, sexual transmission)?
Hepatitis B
Hepatitis C
Hepatitis D
2 types
Which viral hepatitis transmit enterally (begins with the mouth/oral cavity)?
Hepatitis A
Hepatitis E
What does ACUTE viral hepatitis mean?
Infection of the hepatocytes with direct killing by effector lymphocytes (damage to the liver cells comes from the immune response to the virus, not from the virus itself)
Self-limiting liver inflammation
What does CHRONIC viral hepatitis mean?
Low-level long-term (longer than 6 months) immune damage with additional direct cytopathic effects as well as fibrosis and cirrhosis
What do the hepatitis A and E viruses cause?
Acute self-limited hepatitis
How to prevent hepatitis A?
Vaccination
Which food group is hepatitis A often found in?
Seafood
What is hepatitis E infection most commonly caused by?
Consumption of undercooked pork products
What may happen in immunosuppressed patients when infected with the hepatitis E virus?
Unable to clear the infection leading to chronic hepatitis
How can hepatitis E be prevented?
Food hygiene (cook pig meat well)
How can hepatitis B be prevented?
Vaccination
Why is there relatively little evolution of the hepatitis B virus compared to hepatitis C?
Hepatitis B is a DNA virus whereas hepatitis C is an RNA virus
Why does infection of the hepatitis B virus give rise to significantly different outcomes in different patients?
Hep B virus integrates into the human genome and then reappears as viral particles, which can result in different host response, hence the differing outcome seen
What promotes the longevity of the hepatitis B virus with an incubation period of 2-6 months?
Virus integrating into human genome and then reappearing as viral particles
The majority of adults clear the hepatitis B virus following the acute infection, but __ to __% of immunocompetent adults go on to develop chronic infection. This occurs in over 90% of those infected perinatally.
1 to 5%
What can chronic hepatitis B viral infection lead to?
Liver cirrhosis
Liver failure
Hepatocellular cancer
Some patients are carriers of hepatitis B. What does this mean?
The virus infects the liver cells but does not damage them so the liver function is normal
There is no immune response at all to the virus so there is a lot of virus around
Hence, cancer risk ++ remains
How might some people develop as carriers of hepatitis B?
Vertical transmission (mother to child), where people contract the virus either in utero or at delivery
How to diagnose chronic hepatitis B?
Surface antigen test (sAg) positive
DNA positive
Ongoing liver damage
Abnormal LFTs
When infected by Hepatitis B virus in adult life, __% of people will clear the virus normally. __% will fail to clear the virus and develop ______ hepatitis. ___% will develop ______ liver failure (reason in clarifier) which only treatment is liver transplant.
Acute clearance of the virus is so effective it kills all hepatocytes
95, 5, chronic, 0.1, fulminant
What are the risk factors of hepatitis B infection in adults?
Sexual transmission
IV drug abuse
Blood transfusion
‘Soft’ blood contact
Professional exposure
Soft blood contact = helping a bleeding stranger who is a hep B carrier
How long is the incubation period for hepatitis B?
Up to 6 weeks
After the incubation period, how long would the ‘flu-like’ symptoms of hepatitis B last?
1-2 weeks
How long does it take for jaundice or other symptoms to resolve after presenting flu-like symptoms from hepatitis B infection?
2-4 weeks
There is no way of knowing, during the acute illness, who will go on to develop chronic hepatitis B. Disease is defined as chronic at __ months. Patients with chronic hepatitis are at risk of developing ______ and _______-_______ ________.
6, cirrhosis, hepato-cellular carcinoma
What are the clinical features of acute hepatitis B?
Lethargy
Jaundice & dark urine
Liver pain/discomfort
What are the clinical features of chronic liver disease where cirrhosis has developed?
Skin thinning
Weight loss
Variceal bleeding (due to portal hypertension)
Can be totally asymptomatic
Varices are enlarged veins often on the lining of the oesophagus