Doctors warn that hepatitis of all kinds can cause serious complications, including cirrhosis, diabetes and liver cancer, outlining its most prominent risks and ways to prevent it.
Hepatitis is a group of diseases that cause inflammation of the liver due to viral infections, exposure to toxins such as alcohol and certain medications, or metabolic disorders. Viral hepatitis accounts for more than half of all chronic hepatitis cases.
Hepatitis A is transmitted through contaminated food or water, and affects more than one million people annually, but it does not become chronic, and an effective vaccine is available to prevent it.
Hepatitis B affects between 4 and 5 million people annually, and is asymptomatic in approximately 20 to 30% of cases. The chronic form can lead to cirrhosis or liver cancer, with a mortality rate of between 15 and 25% .
According to Dr. Ekaterina Pankovskaya, hepatitis C affects approximately one million people annually, becoming chronic in 70 to 80% of those infected, and often remaining undetected for years. While there is currently no vaccine available, modern treatments achieve cure rates exceeding 95% .
"The virus does not only multiply in the liver, but can also occur outside this organ, as between 40 and 75% of patients suffer from complications including blood vessel disorders, thyroid problems, or type 2 diabetes."
Hepatitis D , on the other hand, has been diagnosed in about 30 million people worldwide and only affects carriers of the hepatitis B virus . The disease develops into an acute form in 5 to 25% of those infected, and is fatal in many cases, while in about 80% of survivors it turns into chronic hepatitis, which may lead to cirrhosis of the liver within 5 to 10 years .
Hepatitis E is diagnosed in approximately 3.4 million people annually and causes the death of approximately 70,000 people each year.
Professor Larisa Volkova warned: "The virus's impact is not limited to the liver; it can extend to the nervous system, causing encephalitis. Hepatitis E also poses a significant risk to pregnant women, with mortality rates among them reaching 20-25%."
Non-viral hepatitis, on the other hand, results from excessive alcohol consumption, exposure to toxic chemicals, the use of certain medications, or autoimmune diseases. If left untreated, it can lead to cirrhosis and liver cancer.
To prevent the disease, experts recommend receiving the hepatitis A and B vaccines , avoiding excessive alcohol consumption, not using medications without medical advice, and undergoing regular checkups for early detection of hepatitis symptoms.
