Hepatitis
Liver abscess is a rare clinical disease condition. Failure to detect abscess formation early and therefore delay in treatment can seriously endanger the life of the patient. It is of great importance to pay attention to the symptoms of liver abscess and to consult a doctor before it is too late.
What is Hepatitis?
Hepatic inflammation, also known as hepatitis, is a disease characterized by widespread inflammation of the liver and the death of liver cells to varying degrees. Liver inflammation is examined under two main headings as acute and chronic hepatitis. Acute hepatitis refers to a sudden onset of liver inflammation, while chronic hepatitis describes a state of liver inflammation that occurs over a longer period of time.
Acute hepatitis usually presents without jaundice. Hepatitis B virus is the most common cause of acute liver inflammation in adults in our country. Liver inflammation associated with jaundice is examined in 4 different stages.
- Incubation Period
- Prodrome Stage
- Jaundice Stage
- Recovery Phase
The incubation period begins with the ingestion of the virus by any means. The incubation period can be briefly summarized as the incubation phase. Following the incubation period, the prodrome phase follows, with the virus entering the blood. In the prodrome stage, symptoms mimicking upper respiratory tract infection can be seen. At this stage, some non-specific symptoms such as mild fever and headache may also be seen. The average duration of this phase is 5 or 6 days. Following the prodrome stage, the jaundice stage develops. In the jaundice phase, conditions such as darkening of the urine, jaundice around the eyes, and yellowing of the whole body can be observed. At this stage, additional symptoms such as itching may also be seen. The average duration of this phase is 2 – 6 weeks. In the final stage of recovery, the patient's symptoms improve.
Hepatitis Treatment
For the treatment of liver inflammation, it is very important to diagnose the factor that causes liver inflammation. In acute viral hepatitis, supportive treatment is sufficient as most of them result in immunity. However, if there is a condition such as fulminant liver inflammation, the treatment should be done in a place with a transplant center. If liver failure due to hepatitis C virus has developed, medical treatment can be applied. In this case, the drug combination "interferon and ribavirin" is used.
In the case of chronic liver inflammation, treatment varies according to the cause. In chronic liver inflammation due to hepatitis B virus, medical treatment is applied if "ALT - AST values are very high, HBV - DNA is higher than 2000 IU / L and fibrosis is observed in the biopsy". “Tenofovir, Entekavir, Lamivudin, Adefovir” are used as medical treatments.
If the factor causing chronic liver inflammation is the hepatitis C virus and the “HCV RNA” value in the blood is positive, an “interferon and ribavirin” drug combination is given in the treatment. With this drug combination, almost 100% of hepatitis C virus-related liver inflammation is treated.
If the factor causing chronic liver inflammation is the hepatitis D virus, "interferon" can be used in the treatment. However, the effectiveness of this drug against hepatitis D virus is limited.
