How does hepatitis A, B, C, D, E infect and harm the body?

According to the Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control, many people confuse the types of hepatitis. Some people think that hepatitis A is just a “mild version” of hepatitis B, or think that hepatitis B vaccination will prevent all types of hepatitis. Some are afraid to come into contact with people with hepatitis for fear of spreading it through shaking hands, eating or sharing dishes.

In fact, according to the Ministry of Health, hepatitis A, B, C, D and E are 5 diseases caused by 5 completely different viruses. Although they both attack and damage the liver, each type has its own transmission route, progression, level of danger and prevention.

The liver undertakes many important functions such as metabolizing nutrients, storing energy, creating blood clotting factors and eliminating toxins. When the virus invades, liver cells are damaged, affecting many body activities. There is a type of hepatitis that only lasts for a short time and then goes away completely, but there is also a type that silently lasts for many years, increasing the risk of cirrhosis, liver failure and liver cancer.

One ​​of the biggest differences between types of hepatitis is the transmission route.

Hepatitis A and E are mainly transmitted through the digestive tract when eating food or using water contaminated with the virus. The disease is often related to poor hygiene conditions or unsafe food preparation. Therefore, eating cooked food, drinking boiled water, using clean water and washing hands with soap before eating and after going to the toilet are effective disease prevention measures.

Hepatitis A usually develops acutely and most patients recover completely. Hepatitis E is also mainly an acute disease, but can be severe in pregnant women, people with pre-existing liver disease or immunocompromised people.

Meanwhile, hepatitis B and C are mainly transmitted through blood and body fluids. Hepatitis B can be transmitted from mother to child, through unsafe sex or contact with an infected person’s blood. Hepatitis C is mainly transmitted through blood, often when sharing needles or performing medical procedures, tattoos, piercings, or beauty treatments with tools that are not properly sterilized.

This is also the cause of a common misunderstanding. Many people believe that eating together or having regular contact with people with hepatitis B and C will transmit the disease. In fact, these two viruses are not transmitted through shaking hands, hugging, coughing, sneezing, eating together or sharing bowls and chopsticks. Therefore, people with the disease should not be discriminated against or shunned. It is important to understand the correct transmission route to prevent the disease and behave appropriately.

Types of hepatitis also differ in progression. While hepatitis A and E mostly cause only acute illness, hepatitis B and C can turn into chronic hepatitis. What is worrying is that many people have been infected with the virus for many years but have no obvious symptoms. When jaundice appears, yellow eyes, prolonged fatigue or pain in the liver area, the liver may have been significantly damaged. Early detection helps limit the risk of cirrhosis, liver failure and liver cancer.

In addition, there is hepatitis D – a disease that only appears in people infected with hepatitis B. According to the Ministry of Health, hepatitis D virus cannot cause disease on its own without hepatitis B virus. When co-infected or superinfected, liver damage is often more severe and the risk of complications is also higher. Therefore, preventing hepatitis B also helps prevent hepatitis D.