Hepatitis

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Hepatitis (plural hepatitides) implies injury to the liver characterized by the presence of inflammatory cells in the tissue of the organ. The name is from ancient Greek hepar (ἧπαρ), the root being hepat- (ἡπατ-), meaning liver, and suffix -itis, meaning "inflammation" (c. 1727). The condition can be self-limiting, healing on its own, or can progress to scarring of the liver. Hepatitis is acute when it lasts less than six months and chronic when it persists longer. A group of viruses known as the hepatitis viruses cause most cases of liver damage worldwide. Hepatitis can also be due to toxins (notably alcohol), other infections or from autoimmune process. It may run a subclinical course when the affected person may not feel ill. The patient becomes unwell and symptomatic when the disease impairs liver functions that include, among other things, removal of harmful substances, regulation of blood composition, and production of bile to help digestion.

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News tagged with hepatitis

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The global dynamics and spread of Hepatitis C virus 1a and 1b: A phylogeographical analysis

Medicine & Health / Diseases

created 16 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Research published this week in PLoS Medicine finds that the global spread of Hepatitis C virus (HCV) coincided with widespread use of transfused blood and with the expansion of intravenous drug use but slowed before wholes ...


New data show breakthrough microRNA-targeted therapy holds promise as new treatment for hepatitis C

Medicine & Health / Diseases

created Dec 03, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

A study published online in this week's Science shows that SPC3649, a breakthrough microRNA-targeted therapy developed by Santaris Pharma A/S, holds promise as a novel treatment for patients infected with the Hepatitis C viru ...


Medical students regularly stuck by needles, often fail to report injuries

Medicine & Health / Other

created Nov 25, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Medical students are commonly stuck by needles -- putting them at risk of contracting potentially dangerous blood-borne diseases -- and many of them fail to report the injuries to hospital authorities, according to a Johns ...


New data emerges on liver transplant survival rates

Medicine & Health / Diseases

created Nov 25, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Researchers at the University of Miami School of Medicine compared the outcomes of cirrhotic patients who underwent liver transplants for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) versus alcoholic liver disease (ETOH) and found ...


Alarming trend -- antiviral therapy to treat hepatitis C is declining in the US

Medicine & Health / Diseases

created Nov 24, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Researchers from the University of Michigan determined that only 663,000 of the approximately 3.9 million Americans with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection received antiviral therapy between 2002 and 2007. Treatment rates ...


Multitasking may be Achilles heel for hepatitis C

Medicine & Health / Research

created Nov 23, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Hepatitis C, a formidable virus that affects 130 million people worldwide, is nursing some pretty impressive bruises. By knocking out sections and subsections of one of its proteins, scientists reveal weak ...


Cost of child vaccines fall, more kids saved

Medicine & Health / Diseases

created Nov 20, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

(AP) -- Babies squirmed and wailed as needles plunged into their chubby thighs at a public health clinic on the outskirts of Hanoi on Friday. Like little ones everywhere, the reaction to the sting was never pretty.


Toward explaining why hepatitis B hits men harder than women

Toward explaining why hepatitis B hits men harder than women

Chemistry / Biochemistry

created Nov 18, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Scientists in China are reporting discovery of unusual liver proteins, found only in males, that may help explain the long-standing mystery of why the hepatitis B virus (HBV) sexually discriminates -- hitting ...


Study finds those with more difficult to treat forms of HCV are half as likely to get treated

Medicine & Health / Health

created Nov 09, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

A new study by Mount Sinai researchers has for the first time found that patients with more difficult to treat forms of hepatitis C are half as likely to initiate treatment for the disease, when compared to patients with ...


Extending treatment after liver transplant may benefit patients with hepatitis C recurrence

Medicine & Health / Diseases

created Nov 01, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Extending hepatitis C treatment for liver transplant patients beyond current practice results in high rates of clearance of the hepatitis C virus from the blood, as well as a low rate of relapse, according to a Henry Ford ...


Hepatitis B does not increase risk for pancreatic cancer

Medicine & Health / Cancer

created Nov 01, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

A Henry Ford Hospital study found that hepatitis B does not increase the risk for pancreatic cancer - and that only age is a contributing factor.


Donor race may impact kidney transplant survival

Medicine & Health / Other

created Oct 30, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

The race of kidney donors may affect the survival rates of transplant recipients according to a study by Henry Ford Hospital.


Trigger of deadly food toxin discovered

Trigger of deadly food toxin discovered

Chemistry / Biochemistry

created Oct 21, 2009 | popularity 4.7 / 5 (3) | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- A toxin produced by mold on nuts and grains can cause liver cancer if consumed in large quantities. UC Irvine researchers for the first time have discovered what triggers the toxin to form, ...


Scientists identify specific markers that trigger aggressiveness of liver cancer

Medicine & Health / Cancer

created Oct 20, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) or primary liver cancer forms in the epithelial tissue of the liver and is most commonly caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV) or hepatitis C virus (HCV). In the U.S., the National Cancer Institute ...


Drinking coffee slows progression of liver disease in chronic hepatitis C sufferers

Medicine & Health / Diseases

created Oct 20, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 0

Patients with chronic hepatitis C and advanced liver disease who drink three or more cups of coffee per day have a 53% lower risk of liver disease progression than non-coffee drinkers according to a new study led by Neal ...