The word Hepatitis meaning inflammation is derived from a Greek word. Hepatitis, a disease of liver, is one of major causes of death in USA and worldwide. The cause of disease is due to viral infection, toxicity due to alcohol consumption, immune deficiency etc. If not treated early and properly treated should lead to chronic liver disease and liver cancer. No symptom of disease may be observed at the early stages. Regular visit to doctor's office and preventive procedures like blood test and annual physical test shall reveal the occurrence of the disease at early stage. Special tests for detail hepatitis detection are done after blood test shows abnormal bilirubin presence. With proper care and healthy lifestyle the disease is curable. In the extreme case a liver transplant is the ultimate treatment.

            In many cases there may not be any external symptom of the hepatitis disease specially, at the initial stage. In some cases jaundice (yellow eye and yellow skin) is visible symptom; discoloration of urine is also an external visible symptom. Symptoms and ‘Signs of Hepatitis' depend on the stages of the disease like acute, chronic, fibrosis, and cirrhosis:

             Physical

                        . Enlargement of the liver (can be felt by pressing the liver at the right side), Enlargement of the spleen, and Enlargement of the lymph node.

            Acute

                        . Flu- like symptoms - It is common in viral (like hepatitis A, hepatitis virus B. hepatitis C) diseases; causes fever, malaise, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and headache; Other symptoms - Appetite Loss, Smoker's dislike to smoking, Urine color, Jaundice, abdominal problem; Sometimes the disease at this stage progresses to acute liver failure (total loss of liver function) requiring a liver transplant.

            Chronic

            . Very weak and tired feeling, Malaise, jaundice, and enlargement of liver; blood test reveals abnormal presence bilirubin etc..

            . Cirrhosis – bruising, bleeding, loss of weight, swelling of legs, abdominal cavity fluid, enlargement of veins near esophagus, malfunction of kidney

            Women – Menstruation problem, acne, enlargement of thyroid gland and kidney.

Hepatitis Virus A (HVA)

            It is infected through food, contaminated water, blood, and hand; the incubation period is 15- 45 days. Onset of the disease is sudden and is marked by high fever.

Hepatitis Virus B (HVB)

            It is infected through urine, semen, sweat and tears. Its incubation period is 50-180 days. Onset of disease is marked by flu-like symptom. Infected people though cured are lifelong carrier of the virus.

Hepatitis Virus C (HVC)

It is infected through contaminated blood transfusion. Its incubation period is 20- 90 days. Vomiting, nausea, and jaundice mark onset of the virus. It may cause chronic disease or even cirrhosis.