World Hepatitis Day: Here’s how hepatitis affects your mental and physical well-being

Hepatitis is a serious condition that is manifested as an inflammation of the liver. It’s a viral infection and is also triggered by excessive use of medications, drugs, and alcohol.

Your body can be impacted due to the inflamed liver, and the same would be detrimental to your health as the liver performs various vital functions. The liver has an impact on your entire body, from bile production, digestion, to the breakdown of nutrients to provide energy.

Understanding hepatitis

Hepatitis is a viral infection that inflames the liver and is classified into A, B, C, D, and E variants. While hepatitis A is acute, the B, C, D, and E variants could be chronic in nature.

Hepatitis A: It is spread by coming in contact with an infected person’s faecal matter, usually in microscopic amounts. This contact usually happens via common objects and food.

Hepatitis B and C: It is usually spread on contact with the blood, semen, or other body fluids of the infected person.

Hepatitis D: This is a serious liver ailment, and is spread via direct contact with the blood of an infected person.

Hepatitis E: It is a waterborne disease, caused mainly due to poor sanitation and contaminated water that ingests faecal matter into the victim’s digestive tract.

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Common symptoms of hepatitis include fatigue, flu, dark urine, pale stool, and abdominal pain. A person may also experience loss of appetite, weakness, accelerated weight loss, and yellow colouration of skin and eyes.

Here’s how hepatitis can affect your body

Since this disease can cause, serious damage to your liver, your body may be susceptible to the following adverse reactions:

• Trouble sleeping: Your immune system can go in overdrive mode, and attack the thyroid gland. This results in feelings of weakness, fatigue, and causes trouble sleeping on most days.
• Inflamed liver: Abdominal pain and tenderness in the affected area. The liver could also experience scarring, and inflammation, that leads to liver damage.
• Toxic blood: Since liver function gets impaired due to hepatitis, the body’s ability to flush out toxins from the blood will be impacted. This could also cause anaemia in certain cases.
• Yellow colouring of skin and eyes: Impairment of liver function can also cause jaundice, which makes the skin and eyes turn yellow. This happens due to high levels of bilirubin in the body.
• Impairment of mental faculties: In some serious cases, toxins may build up in the brain. This can cause confusion, mood swings, and speech impairment.
• Bile production may be hampered: Liver inflammation hampers the ability of the intestines to produce bile. Bile is critical to absorb minerals, vitamins, and proteins from the food you eat.

So, ladies, be mindful of any signs of hepatitis and consult your doctor immediately in case you experience any symptoms.