Affects: Liver, pancreas and gallbladder24/7
Hepatitis
Inflammation of the liver. It can be caused by viruses (A, B, C, D, E), alcohol, medications, or metabolic or autoimmune causes.
The types matter
Hepatitis A and E spread through contaminated water and food and almost always resolve on their own. B and D spread through blood, sexual contact and from mother to child, and can become chronic. C spreads through blood and for years was silent and chronic in most cases.
The good news
Hepatitis A and B are preventable with safe, effective vaccines. And hepatitis C, once a chronic disease that was hard to treat, is now cured in over 95% of cases with oral antiviral treatments lasting a few weeks. Many people have it without knowing: getting tested is all that stands between them and a cure.
The silent damage
The liver can stay inflamed for years without clear symptoms. When inflammation persists, tissue is replaced by fibrosis and can progress to cirrhosis, with a risk of liver failure and liver cancer. Detecting it before that stage changes the whole outlook.
What protects the liver
- Vaccination against hepatitis A and B
- Getting tested for hepatitis C at least once in adulthood
- Limiting or avoiding alcohol
- Not self-medicating, especially with high doses of paracetamol
- Maintaining a healthy weight: fatty liver also causes inflammation
When something goes wrong
- GallstonesStones that form in the gallbladder when bile becomes too concentrated. Many cause no symptoms; others block the bile duct and trigger an attack.
- Fatty liverFat accumulating in liver cells, almost always linked to insulin resistance, excess weight, diabetes or cholesterol abnormalities.
- PancreatitisInflammation of the pancreas, occurring when its own digestive enzymes activate inside the organ and damage it. It can be acute or chronic.
