PLEASE NOTE! All articles here in this site are informative for common knowledge. Please study different sources for information and visit a local doctor.

HEPATITIS E – WHAT IS IT?

Hepatitis E happens to be one of the viruses that can cause potential liver damage. The disease is quite similar to that of the disease caused by hepatitis virus. There are certain facts about hepatitis E that everyone must know, since it is a disease that can lead to severe consequences.

FIRST POINT …

Hepatitis E is a “self-limited” disease, which means that the disease does not require any medical treatment and can eventually subside on its own with the help of the immune system of the body. Doctors usually provide some supportive treatment in this condition with the use of certain medicines that can control nausea and prevent dehydration. However, there is nothing needed for hepatitis E specifically.

SECOND POINT…

Hepatitis E is an acute condition. This clarifies that the disease will not be chronic like other types of hepatitis (B and C).hepatitis E also doesn’t lead to any serious diseases like cirrhosis or cancer. But that doesn’t mean that things can be taken for granted, as hepatitis E can lead to a severe complication called fulminant hepatitis failure.

THIRD POINT…

Hepatitis C is more of a gastrointestinal disease. Diseases like these usually involve the intestine and the stomach. This being the condition, hepatitis E is usually accompanied by diarrhea and vomiting. However, alike every other types of hepatitis, the symptoms of hepatitis E are also similar to flu and include fever, nausea, abdominal pain, muscle pain, joint pain and appetite loss. Hepatitis E usually involves jaundice, but it is also possible that the disease would not be accompanied by any symptoms of jaundice.

FOURTH POINT…

Hepatitis E spreads through the fecal-oral path. When viruses spread through the fecal-oral path, it is usually caused due to infected feces ingestion and mostly through contaminated water. By drinking pure and clean water, chances are  that you would be reducing the risk of developing hepatitis E and hepatitis A. also you must wash your hands thoroughly after eating or after coming back home from outside.

FIFTH POINT…

Hepatitis E is not a critical problem in America. However, it is endemic and exists in certain places in Northern as well as Northeast Africa, Southern as well as Southeast Asia and in Mexico.

SIXTH POINT…

Hepatitis E, alike every other type of hepatitis, including A, B, C and D is dangerous for pregnant women. Though there has been very limited research on this issue, but it is assumed that during the third trimester, if the would-be mother gets infected with the hepatitis E virus, the infection can as well spread to the baby from the mother, thus causing potential damage to both.

Hepatitis E should not be treated as a mild condition and precautions must be taken from the very beginning of the disease. Though the disease seems to have mild to moderate effects on humans, but in some cases, conditions might worsen. Proper care must be taken for pregnant women and their babies. Hepatitis is a common condition during pregnancy and therefore expecting mothers must ask the doctor for hepatitis tests from time to time.