Contents:
- Medical Video: Viral hepatitis (A, B, C, D, E) - causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment & pathology
- What are the risk factors for hepatitis?
- 1. Risk behavior
- 2. Drug and alcohol abuse
- 3. Conditions of residence and workplace
- 4. Water and food contamination
- 5. Other hepatitis risk factors
Medical Video: Viral hepatitis (A, B, C, D, E) - causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment & pathology
Hepatitis is a serious liver inflammation infection that damages liver function. Viral infections are the cause of most cases of hepatitis in the world. Viral hepatitis is a major risk factor for liver cancer.
This virus is transmitted through direct or indirect contact with body fluids, such as blood, feces, vaginal secretions, or semen.You can be at risk if you work in a hospital or in the nursery, or if you unconsciously consume food contaminated with feces while traveling.
The rest, excessive consumption of alcohol or the use of certain drugs can also cause hepatitis. In addition, suppressing the immune system can also cause hepatitis. The following is a further explanation of various types of hepatitis risk factors.
What are the risk factors for hepatitis?
1. Risk behavior
Certain behaviors can be a risk factor for hepatitis, including:
- Sharing needles (medical / drug) with other people can expose you to infected blood.
- Have HIV. If you are infected with HIV through sharing needles (medical / drug), receiving contaminated blood transfusions, or having unprotected sex, your risk of developing hepatitis also increases. However, it is exposure to body fluids that makes you risky, and not your HIV status.
- Tattoos, body piercing, and other needle exposures. If you intend to make tattoos, body piercing, or even acupuncture that don't use new needles for each client, your risk of getting hepatitis and other blood-borne infections such as HIV will increase significantly.
- Unprotected sex (both vaginal, anal and oral). Although hepatitis A and E are most often transmitted through consumption of contaminated food and water, oral-anal sexual contact can also transmit the hepatitis virus.
2. Drug and alcohol abuse
Certain drugs can cause severe liver damage if you use them not according to the rules, for example paracetamol (acetaminophen). Other drugs can also trigger hepatitis, such as methotrexate (Trexall, Rheumatrex), which is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis.
In addition to drugs, long-term alcohol consumption can also cause hepatitis. People who are most at risk are those who drink up to 100 grams of alcohol every day, and routinely consume about 10 alcoholic drinks or more a day, for several years.
3. Conditions of residence and workplace
The conditions of your residence and work environment can be a risk factor for hepatitis, if:
- You work with children. This is because after changing diapers, you can forget to wash your hands, and be exposed to contaminated items that your child has touched beforehand, such as snacks, toys, and other surfaces if they forget to wash their hands after defecating.
- You care for and live with someone who has hepatitis. Hepatitis viruses can be transmitted from personal items that are shared, such as toothbrushes, shavers, or even nail clippers that may have been infected with small amounts of blood.
- You are a health care worker (doctor, nurse, nurse, or midwife). You are at high risk of exposure to the patient's blood and contaminated medical equipment, such as needles.
4. Water and food contamination
Most cases of hepatitis A and E are transmitted through the consumption of water or food contaminated with feces infected with the virus. It also includes eating fresh fruits and vegetables that might be washed with contaminated water, and foods or drinks that might be treated with the water.
5. Other hepatitis risk factors
Other ways to get hepatitis include:
- Blood transfusion
- Immune system suppression (autoimmune hepatitis) or chemotherapy
- Transmission from mother to child during labor
Hello Health Group does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
