There are many kinds of liver diseases:

• Diseases caused by viruses, such as hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C.

• Diseases caused by drugs, poisons, or too much alcohol. Examples include fatty liver disease and cirrhosis.

• Liver cancer.

• Inherited diseases, such as hemochromatosis and Wilson disease.

What is hepatitis?

Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver. Inflammation is swelling that happens when tissues of the body are injured or infected. It can damage your liver. This swelling and damage can affect how well your liver functions.

Hepatitis can be an acute (short-term) infection or a chronic (long-term) infection. Some types of hepatitis cause only acute infections. Other types can cause both acute and chronic infections.

What causes hepatitis?

There are different types of hepatitis, with different causes:

• Viral hepatitis is the most common type. It is caused by one of several viruses -- hepatitis viruses A, B, C, D, and E. In the United States, A, B, and C are the most common.

• Alcoholic hepatitis is caused by heavy alcohol use

• Toxic hepatitis can be caused by certain poisons, chemicals, medicines, or supplements

• Autoimmune hepatitis is a chronic type in which your body's immune system attacks your liver. The cause is not known, but genetics and your environment may play a role.

How is viral hepatitis spread?

Hepatitis A and hepatitis E usually spread through contact with food or water that was contaminated with an infected person's stool. You can also get hepatitis E by eating undercooked pork, deer, or shellfish.

Hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and hepatitis D spread through contact with the blood of someone who has the disease. Hepatitis B and D may also spread through contact with other body fluids. This can happen in many ways, such as sharing drug needles or having unprotected sex.

Who is at risk for hepatitis?

The risks are different for the different types of hepatitis. For example, with most of the viral types, your risk is higher if you have unprotected sex. People who drink a lot over long periods of time are at risk for alcoholic hepatitis.

What are the symptoms of hepatitis?

Some people with hepatitis do not have symptoms and do not know they are infected. If you do have symptoms, they may include:

• Fever

• Fatigue

• Loss of appetite

• Nausea and/or vomiting

• Abdominal pain

• Dark urine

• Clay-colored bowel movements

• Joint pain

• Jaundice, yellowing of your skin and eyes

If you have an acute infection, your symptoms can start anywhere between 2 weeks to 6 months after you got infected. If you have a chronic infection, you may not have symptoms until many years later.

What other problems can hepatitis cause?

Chronic hepatitis can lead to complications such as cirrhosis (scarring of the liver), liver failure, and liver cancer. Early diagnosis and treatment of chronic hepatitis may prevent these complications.

How is hepatitis diagnosed?

To diagnose hepatitis, your health care provider:

• Will ask about your symptoms and medical history

• Will do a physical exam

• Will likely do blood tests, including tests for viral hepatitis

• Might do imaging tests, such as an ultrasound, CT scan, or MRI

• May need to do a liver biopsy to get a clear diagnosis and check for liver damage

What are the treatments for hepatitis?

Treatment for hepatitis depends on which type you have and whether it is acute or chronic. Acute viral hepatitis often goes away on its own. To feel better, you may just need to rest and get enough fluids. But in some cases, it may be more serious. You might even need treatment in a hospital.

There are different medicines to treat the different chronic types of hepatitis. Possible other treatments may include surgery and other medical procedures. People who have alcoholic hepatitis need to stop drinking. If your chronic hepatitis leads to liver failure or liver cancer, you may need a liver transplant.

Can hepatitis be prevented?

There are different ways to prevent or lower your risk for hepatitis, depending on the type of hepatitis. For example, not drinking too much alcohol can prevent alcoholic hepatitis. There are vaccines to prevent hepatitis A and B. Homeopathic Treatment can help Autoimmune hepatitis .

Liver inflammation caused by drinking too much alcohol.

Alcoholic hepatitis can occur in people who drink heavily for many years.

Symptoms include yellow skin and eyes along with increasing stomach size due to fluid accumulation.

Treatment involves hydration, nutritional care and stopping alcohol use

Chronic liver damage from a variety of causes leading to scarring and liver failure.

Hepatitis and chronic alcohol abuse are frequent causes. Liver damage caused by cirrhosis can't be undone, but further damage can be limited.

Initially patients may experience fatigue, weakness and weight loss. During later stages, patients may develop jaundice (yellowing of the skin), gastrointestinal bleeding, abdominal swelling and confusion.

Treatments focus on the underlying cause. In advanced cases

An increased build-up of fat in the liver.

Major risk factors include obesity and type 2 diabetes, though it's also associated with excessive alcohol consumption.

It usually causes no symptoms. When symptoms occur, they include fatigue, weight loss and abdominal pain.

Treatment involves reducing the risk factors such as obesity through a diet and exercise programme. It is generally a benign condition, but in a minority of patients, it can progress to liver failure (cirrhosis). Homeopathic Treatment can help you to improve your Liver's health Condition.