Viral Hepatitis

Viral hepatitis is the infectious disease mainly manifested as hepatitis caused by A, B, C, D, and E types of hepatitis viruses. It spreads widely. Also epidemic parotitis, influenza and measles viruses those all belong to paramyxovirus, can cause hepatitis. In this point of view, the pathogen of hepatitis is a quite complicated problem. Various tests should be done to decide which kind of virus is causing hepatitis, if A, B, C, D, or E virus cannot be decided.

Virus spreading:

A and B types of virus spread through digestive tract; B and C types of virus spread through blood, injection, skin injury, sexual contact, insect bites and so on.

Outcome of disease:

(1). A type of hepatitis is an acute infectious disease, occasionally in chronic situation. There is no virus-carrier conception. Mortality is lower than the other type of hepatitis.

(2). B type of hepatitis, HBV, spreads in the world. HBV chronic carriers reach up to 3.5 billions. Sixty percent of adult patients become temporary sub-clinical infected patients; about 25% as acute hepatitis and most of them recover smoothly. Small amount of them develops fulminating hepatitis with high motility; about 10% of them become chronic hepatitis, after recurrence repeatedly then transform or develop to severe chronic hepatitis or hepatocirrhosis, some of them may develop liver cancer years and years later.

(3). C type of hepatitis, about 40-60% of patients become chronic transformed from acute hepatitis, and further develop to hepatocirrhosis. The latter may develop to canceration and 13% of chronic patients directly become liver cancer patients.

(4). D type of hepatitis, it only occurs within HBV infected patients, very rarely it happens alone. The D type of hepatitis will end when HBV ends. Most of them have a favorable prognosis; only small amount of them becomes chronic patients.

(5). E type of hepatitis, the pathogenesis is related to cell immune. Clinically, most of them have acute onset including icterohepatitis and anicteric hepatitis. After treatment the patients can recover; small amounts of them become severe acute hepatitis or severe sub-acute hepatitis, some of them are pregnant patients.

A, B, C, E type of hepatitis viruses can cause acute hepatitis, icterohepatitis and anicteric hepatitis.

Symptoms:

Symptoms at the beginning are similar to influenza with fever, headache, painful body, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting. The symptom of sub-clinical or non-typical cases usually is not clear.

Laboratory tests and specific examinations:

(1). Pathogen assay

(2). Liver biochemical index assay

(3). Ultrasound or CT

Differentiation in TCM:

(1). Acute icterohepatitis

A. Yang jaundice syndrome: bright yellow coloration on the skin and sclera with weak, taut and rapid pulse.

B. Yin jaundice syndrome: dark yellow coloration on the skin and sclera with deep, slow and weak pulse.

(2). Acute anicteric hepatitis

A. Dampness obstructed spleen and stomach syndrome

B. Liver stagnation and spleen deficiency syndrome

(3). Chronic hepatitis

A. Damp-heat blocked in middle jiao

B. Liver stagnation and spleen deficiency

C. Yang deficiency of liver and kidney

D. Blood stasis obstructed channels

E. Yang deficiency of spleen and kidney

Each type of hepatitis can manifest as acute, chronic, severe, cholestasis and other clinical type of hepatitis.

Treatment principles are similar. There are many reasons that acute hepatitis transformed to chronic hepatitis, however, the main one is the body immune imbalance.

Treatment outline of our therapeutic center:

(1). Diagnosis and treatment based on an overall analysis of the illness and the patient's condition.

(2). Anti-hepatitis virus, regulating and controlling immune function.

(3). Regulating protein, increasing albumin and reducing globulin.

(4). Accelerating hepatocellular recovery, improving liver function and lowering enzymes.

(5). Resolution of jaundice.

In our therapeutic center, after 1-2 months of treatment, the liver function of most patents can be recovered to normal. Loss of appetite, fatigue and other symptoms disappeared. After 3-6 months treatment, HBsAg of part patients with B type hepatitis turns to negative from positive, which indicates the body is without infection relatively. Anti-HBc from positive turned to negative, which indicates the virus inside the body has stopped replicating. HCV-RNA of part patients with HCV can be turned to negative constantly.