What is chronic hepatitis - its types, symptoms, ways of treatment

Such a disease as chronic hepatitis is an inflammatory disease of the liver, which lasts more than six months. Basically, the etiology of the disease is infectious, including to a lesser extent also viruses.

The most common cause of the disease is acute acute viral hepatitis B, C, D, and G. One of the most severe liver damage is an autoimmune appearance. With it there is a violation of immunological tolerance of the liver. In addition, important causes of chronic inflammatory processes in the liver, can also be hepatitis, which were caused by drugs, alcohol or toxic substances.

The disease occurs not only in adults, but also in children. Disease in children occurs practically at any age from 2 to 15 years and mainly in younger schoolchildren. And most often sick girls.

Is the disease transmitted? This disease is transmitted only by contact through contaminated food, water, household items. And the main source of this infection is sick, in whom the disease proceeds without jaundice.

Symptoms of the disease

It is very difficult to recognize this disease at the initial stage, as the symptoms are very poorly expressed.

The most common symptoms include:

• weakness;
• increased fatigue, which increases by the end of the day;
• nausea;
• abdominal pain;
• possible jaundice;
• sometimes darkening of urine;
• itching( rarely);
• decreased appetite;
• sometimes a decrease in body weight( especially often occurs in an autoimmune form, severe viral or cirrhosis of the liver).

The activity of the serum ASAT and ALT values ​​exceeds the norm in almost all patients with chronic hepatitis and come back to normal after the onset of remission or as a result of successful therapy. The level of gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase and alkaline phosphatase increases slightly, except for the disease in severe form.

Classification of the disease

To date, chronic hepatitis can be divided into the following types, which are based on the histological characteristics of the disease:

• persistent;
• is a lobular;
• active.

Chronic persistent and chronic lobular hepatitis are non-progressive liver diseases, in which development of hepatic insufficiency does not occur. Chronic active disease is a systemic disease of different etiology, which is characterized by persistent hepatic necrosis, inflammation and fibrosis. All this can lead to hepatic insufficiency, cirrhosis or death.

Chronic toxic hepatitis

This form of the disease includes chronic liver diseases that are caused by prolonged exposure to the human body of various industrial or household substances, as well as inappropriate use of medicines. This also includes a kind of chronic inflammatory liver damage that occurs as a result of the action of the heliotrope grown in the countries of Central Asia.

Industrial harmful substances that are capable of causing toxic hepatitis:

• benzene and its derivatives;
• compounds of beryllium and manganese;
• chlorinated carbohydrates;
• mercury, arsenic, lead;
• chlorinated naphthalenes.

Among medicinal products are allocated:

• phenobarbital;
• sulfonamides;
• butadione;
• thiourea derivatives,
• novarsenol;
• ; aminazine;
• tuberculostatic agents;
• high doses of corticosteroids.

For this type of hepatitis is characterized by pain in the liver, sometimes mild jaundice, and also an increase in the liver, which gradually becomes dense and painful when palpated. The functional capacity of the liver is slightly impaired, the albumin content in the blood decreases, and hypergammaglobulinemia also occurs.

This includes and chronic alcoholic hepatitis - inflammatory, degenerative liver damage, which is due to the intake of alcohol. In most cases, this form progresses to cirrhosis of the liver.

Chronic drug-induced hepatitis

Drug or drug-induced hepatitis is a liver injury that occurs due to toxic effects of drugs on liver cells, followed by the development of inflammation and possibly necrosis.

It is very difficult in some cases to differentiate the clinical manifestations of the medicinal species of the disease. The new drug is a real potential inducer in the development of chronic hepatitis. Therefore, a patient with chronic hepatitis should be carefully studied for anamnesis of taking medications.

Diagnosis and treatment of

Diagnosis is performed on the basis of a general clinical picture, a biochemical blood test, autoantibodies, detection of markers of hepatitis B, C, D, ultrasound of the abdominal cavity and liver, puncture liver biopsy, liver scans and other methods in blood. Liver biopsy is the most important component in the diagnosis of chronic hepatitis of the liver, as well as monitoring the effectiveness of therapeutic measures. The activity of the disease is determined by the severity of the disease, its severity and the extent of the necroinflammatory process.

In the remission phase, the treatment of chronic hepatitis as such is not prescribed for drug treatment. In general, diet and regimen are recommended. Sometimes hepatoprotectors can be prescribed. In the acute phase, a strict diet is recommended, as well as a means for improving digestion processes and improving liver function of hepatoprotectors. The complex treatment also includes the collection of medicinal herbs, treatment of concomitant diseases. Interferons or their combinations are used together with antiviral drugs. In some cases, corticosteroid hormones( for example, prednisolone) or their combination with cytostatics are prescribed. At the beginning of the treatment of the disease, high doses are taken, gradually shifting to supporting medications, which the patient is obliged to take up to 3 years. Then, in the absence of progression of hepatitis, gradually hormone therapy is canceled.