liver and gallbladder disorders
Overview of Chronic Hepatitis
Causes of Chronic Hepatitis
The most common causes of chronic hepatitis are Hepatitis C, Chronic None Hepatitis B, Chronic None Fatty Liver not due to alcohol use (nonalcoholic steatohepatitis) Alcohol-Related Liver Disease None Hepatitis C viruscauses about 60 to 70% of cases of chronic hepatitis, and at least 75% of acute hepatitis C cases become chronic. cases in adults become chronic, sometimes with Hepatitis D coinfection. (Hepatitis D does not occur by itself. It occurs only as a coinfection with hepatitis B.) Acute hepatitis B becomes chronic in up to 90% of infected newborns and in 25 to 50% of young children. Rarely,hepatitis E viruscauses chronic hepatitis in people with a weakened immune system, such as those who are taking drugs to suppress the immune system after an organ transplant, who are taking drugs to treat cancer, or who have HIV infection. Hepatitis A virusdoes not cause chronic hepatitis. Fatty Liver None Alcohol,after being absorbed in the digestive tract, is usually processed (metabolized) in the liver. As alcohol is processed, substances that can damage the liver are produced. Alcohol-related liver disease typically occurs in people who drink heavily for many months or years. Alcohol-related liver disease is characterized by fatty liver and widespread liver inflammation that can result in the death of liver cells. If people continue drinking, scar tissue can form in the liver and may eventually replace a large amount of normal liver tissue, resulting in cirrhosis. Less often, chronic hepatitis results from Autoimmune hepatitis Drugs Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency (a hereditary disorder) Celiac Disease None Hemochromatosis (a hereditary disorder that causes the body to absorb too much iron) Primary Biliary Cholangitis (PBC) None A thyroid disorder In children and young adults, Wilson Disease (a rare hereditary disorder involving abnormal retention of the chronic inflammation resembles inflammation caused by the body attacking its own tissues (an Autoimmune Disorders ). Autoimmune hepatitis is more common among women than men. Certaindrugscan cause chronic hepatitis, particularly when they are taken for a long time. They includeamiodarone,isoniazid,methotrexate,methyldopa,nitrofurantoin, andtamoxifenand rarelyacetaminophen. No one knows exactly why a particular virus or drug causes chronic hepatitis in some people but not in others or why the degree of severity varies. Chronic hepatitis may not be suspected until after cirrhosis develops. 