GAY AREA

Hepatitis

Hepatitis and its history
Hepatitis means inflammation (itis) of the liver (hepar). Inflammation is defined as irritation or swelling of the liver cells. There are many forms of hepatitis, including viral hepatitis, autoimmune hepatitis, fatty liver hepatitis, alcoholic hepatitis and toxin induced hepatitis. It is estimated that around 250 million people world-wide are affected by hepatitis C and around 400 million are chronic carriers of hepatitis B. It is an enormous health issue. Hepatitis is so common a group of diseases that you probably know people with it even though they probably haven't told you as much. There remains a stigma attached to certain types of hepatitis especially when the person has the potential to infect others. However, when people are aware that they are potentially infectious, just a few simple precautions can avoid them passing it to others. Often people who know they have hepatitis just think it is simpler to avoid the ignorance of others and the knock on effects it can have on their family. They keep it between themselves and the medical team who provide their healthcare.

The Liver
Hepatitis affects the liver. The liver is a wedge shaped organ located on the upper right side of the body, lying beneath the rib cage. The largest organ it makes up 2 to 3 per cent of the body’s total weight. Unlike the heart or stomach, the liver has a multiple function. Doctors specializing in the liver (hepatologists) believe that it has over 140 functions. These include producing bile needed for digestion, storing minerals and vitamins, assisting in blood clotting (vitamin K), neutralizing poisons, producing amino acids to build healthy muscles, regulating energy, maintaining hormonal balance, processing drugs.

A Brief History of Hepatitis
Hepatitis is believed to have existed in some form since ancient times. It is known, for example, that a diseases existed that affected the liver and caused yellowing of the skin. In 1963 there was a major breakthrough which identified serum hepatitis and its cause, named the hepatitis B virus (HBV). Ten years later the cause of infectious hepatitis was found and named the Hepatitis A virus (HAV) and although scientists knew other viruses existed it was not until 1989 that the hepatitis C virus (HCV) was isolated. Although the hepatitis delta virus (HDV) was known about from the mid 1970s, it was only in the late 1980s -1990 that it was understood to exist only in the presence of hepatitis B. In 1990 hepatitis E virus (HEV) and in 1995, Hepatitis G virus (HGV), were identified. Other viruses, hepatitis F virus (HFV) and transfusion transmission virus (TTV), are thought to exist, but as yet unproven.