How could I possibly have Hepatitis?

People usually talk about Hepatitis B and C in hushed tones. Neither form is a disease that gets much sympathy from the general population. Hepatitis B and C hold four million Americans hostage. Both forms are generally asymptomatic until it is in the advanced stages. Both forms are a virus that can be passed on to others, but not as easily as you’d think.

The liver is the largest organ in your body. It’s weight is about three pounds, and it’s about as large a regulation football. The liver is like a coach, directing the quarterback that’s manufacturing bile to break down fats in the intestines. The liver coaches special teams that produce a blood protein called albumin that regulates your body’s fluid balance. The liver is the athletic trainer that metabolizes the red blood cell pigment, bilirubin, transforming it into a water-soluble substance excreted in bile. Your liver stores energy and iron, and processes bacterial, alcohol, drugs and other substances that you allow to enter your body.

You cannot live without your liver. Hepatitis B and C are viruses that have damaged your liver to some degree. Hepatitis B can be prevented by vaccine, and Hepatitis C can be treated with drugs. The disease process for both forms can be acute or chronic. Early diagnosis and treatment is essential.

For more on the liver:

http://www.niddk.nih.gov/health/digest

www.liverfoundation.org

This book is being donated to the Chi Medical Library:

Liver Book: A Comprehensive Guide to Diagnosis, Treatment and Recovery, Sanjiv Chopra, M.D., New York: Simon & Schuster, 2001.

The liver is the body’s great purifier, and the only human organ that can total regenerate itself. But you need to know that certain liver and viral ailments can incapacitate your liver, such that it loses its ability to function. Within the covers, you will find: How the liver functions; tests and screenings for liver ailments and viruses; Hepatitis, A-E; liver transplants; alternative treatments and more.