How is toxic hepatitis manifested - symptoms and treatment of the disease

Such liver disease as toxic hepatitis, acute or chronic course, develops as a result of ingress of various harmful substances into the body( alcohol, drugs, toxins of fungi).The toxic effect on liver cells, which is accompanied by inflammation of the cells and their death, is manifested by an increase in the liver in size, painful sensations in the right hypochondrium and jaundice.

Acute toxic hepatitis develops as a result of ingestion of a single-use, large concentration of poison or a small dose of poison. As a rule, the symptoms of toxic hepatitis appear only after 2-5 days. With multiple poison ingestion in small doses, toxic hepatitis develops in the chronic course and can only occur after a few months or years.

There are 6 main types of transmission pathogen:

• pin;
• airborne or aerosol;
• transmissive;
• fecal-oral( alimentary toxic hepatitis);
• hemocontact;
• vertical( including transplacental).

Symptoms of toxic hepatitis

Severe manifestations of acute toxic hepatitis are very difficult. The patient should be hospitalized as soon as possible, and if untimely to provide medical assistance - death is inevitable. As for chronic toxic hepatitis, it develops more slowly, the symptoms do not appear immediately. If the cause is not eliminated, cirrhosis of the liver or liver failure is likely.

Symptoms of toxic hepatitis:

• fever;
• general weakness;
• fast fatigue;
• pain in the right hypochondrium;
• sometimes has joint pain;
• early jaundice;
• bleeding from the nose, intestines and gums;
• small hemorrhage on the skin;
• discoloration of feces and darkening of urine;
• euphoria and drowsiness, sopor and coma.

Toxic substances affect the nerve cells, so the reaction may manifest as inhibition or excitation, disruption of orientation in space, tremor.

With prolonged exposure to harmful substances, toxic hepatitis can develop gradually. It is characterized by:

• fatigue;
• decreased appetite;
• feeling of heaviness and periodic pain in the right hypochondrium, intensifying after eating;
• irritability;
• temperature increase to low-grade figures;
• nausea;
• bloating;
• bitterness in the mouth;
• itching;
• unstable stool.

The liver is gradually enlarged, becoming painful. In the following it is quite possible the formation of cirrhosis of the liver.

The main complication of acute toxic hepatitis is liver necrosis or acute liver failure, which is manifested most often by massive bleeding, coma and is fatal. If you do not treat toxic hepatitis for a long time, it can lead to cirrhosis of the liver, the development of portal hypertension and chronic hepatic insufficiency.

The main causes of the disease

Harmful substances that enter the body and affect the liver are called hepatic poisons and they can get either accidentally or intentionally. And poisons enter the body in different ways:

1. nose → lungs → blood → liver.
2. mouth → stomach → blood → liver.

Poisons can penetrate and through the skin, first into the blood, and then into the liver. Penetrating into the blood, the hepatic poisons exert a direct effect on the hepatic cell, thereby disrupting its function. The cells of the body lack oxygen in the cells, which leads to their death, with subsequent violation of all the functions of the organ.

Hepatic poisons have a different origin:

1 .Medications. With a single take of a large dose of medicine, toxic damage to the liver and the development of acute toxic drug hepatitis. Such medicines include:

• antiviral( interferon, amantadine);
• sulfonamide preparations( biseptol, sulfadimethoxin);
• antipyretic drugs( paracetamol, aspirin);
• antitubercular( ftivazid, tubazid);
• anticonvulsant( phenobarbital, etc.).

2. Industrial poisons enter the body by inhalation or through the skin. They include:

• phosphorus( phosphate fertilizers);
• arsenic( excreted at metallurgical plants);
• pesticides( used in agriculture);
• aldehydes( used in the industrial economy for the production of acetic acid);
• chlorinated hydrocarbons( included in the components of oil);
• insecticides( used in agriculture in the fight against harmful insects);
• phenols( found in antiseptics for disinfection and canned food).

3. Excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages, especially of poor quality, leads to toxic liver damage and to the occurrence of alcoholic toxic hepatitis. On the day of 20-40 g for men and up to 20 g of alcohol for women are considered safe doses, and at higher doses has a toxic effect.

4. Vegetable poisons( poisons of weeds: ragwort, gorchak, poisons of fungi), have a hepatotropic effect, as a result of which acute toxic hepatitis develops.

Prevention of Toxic Hepatitis

The most important thing is never to engage in self-medication, as, at first glance, the most harmless drugs cause a serious blow to the liver and cause thereby toxic hepatitis. It should be remembered that even for a number of drugs, an overestimated therapeutic dose recommended by the manufacturer can lead to the appearance of toxic hepatitis, up to liver necrosis.

In addition, very toxic are many dietary supplements, folk remedies and infusions. Their use, without the knowledge of a doctor, can even lead to a fatal outcome.

Second, an important factor - alcohol. Blocking yourself from drinking alcohol and not prescribed drugs, a person will significantly increase their chance in the fight against toxic hepatitis.

For those who work in hazardous conditions, it is very important to strictly observe all safety standards and undergo annual medical examinations. This will be the key to successful prevention of the disease. If you identify liver damage with toxins at an early stage, you can completely avoid severe liver damage.