Fact Box: About Hepatitis

• Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver that can cause a range of health problems and can be fatal.
• There are five main strains of the hepatitis virus, referred to as types A, B, C, D and E.
• While they all cause liver disease, they differ in important ways including modes of transmission, severity of the illness, geographical distribution and prevention methods.
• In particular, types B and C lead to chronic disease in hundreds of millions of people and together are the most common cause of liver cirrhosis, liver cancer and viral hepatitis-related deaths.
• Symptoms: Hepatitis symptoms include dark urine, yellowing of the eyes and skin, sickness, fatigue, fever, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, light-coloured stools and joint pain.
• Treatment: There is no specific treatment for hepatitis but drugs like steroids can help, as well as medicines to treat the symptoms.