Skip to main content

Military Health System

Test of Sitewide Banner

This is a test of the sitewide banner capability. In the case of an emergency, site visitors would be able to visit the news page for addition information.

What to Know About Hepatitis - its Treatment, and Prevention

Image of picture of a liver. Hepatitis is characterized by inflammation of the liver. There are several types of the disease that are transmitted through different sources. (Courtesy of CDC)

A bad liver can be a potentially fatal problem.

The liver's primary function is to filter out toxic substances from your blood and to produce the essential proteins that allow the body to function.

But liver functions can be damaged or impaired - especially by unhealthy habits like excessive alcohol use, drug use or obesity.

In advance of World Hepatitis Day on July 28, we wanted to learn more about liver disease -- the different types, and how to prevent them and protect yourself and your loved ones – so we spoke with Army Lt. Col. (Dr.) Brendan Graham, chief of pathology at Womack Army Medical Center, in Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

Graham explained there are several varieties of the disease which can be caused by different factors, including:

  • Alcoholic Hepatitis (caused by excessive alcohol consumption)
  • Viral Hepatitis (caused by infection from viruses that target the liver)
  • Drug-induced hepatitis (caused by certain medications like acetaminophen or dietary supplements)
  • Steatohepatitis, or fatty-liver disease (caused by being overweight or obese)

All of the hepatitis variants can be very dangerous.

"All viral hepatitis can cause abdominal pain and jaundice - the yellowing of the skin and buildup of bilirubin - in the acute stage," said Graham. "Hepatitis that persists can lead to acute liver failure, which can lead to rapid coma and death as the body loses the capacity to process toxic materials in the blood or produce necessary proteins, or chronic liver failure, where the body gradually loses the ability to process toxins and produce proteins, causing numerous medical complications and leading to eventual death due to liver failure."

Liver failure can be either acute, meaning it is brought on suddenly by a specific event, or it can be chronic, which develops over time.

Graham said that "the types of hepatitis that lead to acute liver failure include drug-induced hepatitis - which can be caused by acetaminophen, also known as Tylenol - and certain types of infectious hepatitis, such as viral hepatitis caused by the hepatitis A virus (HAV)".

Similarly, he said the types of hepatitis that lead to chronic liver failure include alcoholic hepatitis, fatty-liver disease, and certain types of viral hepatitis, such as those caused by the hepatitis B (HBV), and hepatitis C (HCV) viruses.

Knowing the difference is important because it allows individuals to avoid death due to acute liver failure, said Graham. Additionally, most of the types of hepatitis that cause chronic liver failure are due to lifestyle choices, such as excessive alcohol use and obesity, making this type of hepatitis largely avoidable through lifestyle modifications.

"Infectious causes of hepatitis can be transmitted to other individuals by means of blood, sexual contact, and feces," added Graham. "Knowledge of these routes of transmission allow individuals to refrain from activities that could result in transmission or enact lifestyle modifications or public health measures that could reduce the risk or prevent transmission."

Graham added: "The multiple medical complications that come with chronic liver failure secondary to chronic hepatitis require significant medical care, numerous doctor visits, and hospitalizations to treat complications like excessive bleeding and excessive swelling."

It can also affect service members' readiness.

"Service members with chronic liver failure secondary to chronic hepatitis are non-deployable as a result of these complications and the significant medical care they require," he said. "Additionally, service members with viral hepatitis that are not yet in liver failure put their fellow service members at risk of contracting the virus due to exposure to the infected individual's blood in the course of providing medical care to an injured, infected individual or receiving a battlefield blood transfusion from an infected individual."

In the United States, the most common and severe types of viral hepatitis are those caused by HAV, HBV, and HCV.

"Chronic hepatitis leading to liver failure is an almost entirely preventable disease," said Graham. "Maintaining a healthy weight, consuming alcohol in moderation, and avoiding high-risk activities like intravenous drug use and sharing injection needles can prevent the vast majority of chronic hepatitis."

Additionally, he said there are new medical therapies for hepatitis C that can effectively cure the disease. "If an individual is at risk for having contracted hepatitis C, treatment with these drugs early in the course of infection can prevent the chronic liver inflammation that leads to liver failure."

Below is more information on the symptoms and the type of the disease each virus causes:

Symptoms:

  • Jaundice
  • Fever
  • Fatigue
  • Loss of appetite
  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Abdominal pain
  • Joint pain
  • Dark urine
  • Clay-colored stool
  • Diarrhea (HAV only)

Hepatitis A:

  • Transmitted through close person-to-person and sexual contact with an infected person as well as by ingesting contaminated food and/or water.
  • Shed through infected feces – people who practice inadequate hygiene can contaminate prepared food with the virus and spread it to others.
  • This is the type of viral hepatitis linked to large outbreaks at a single restaurant or in a home.
  • Has an incubation period of 15-50 days, with an average of 28 days.

Hepatitis B:

  • Primarily transmitted from infected mothers to their babies during childbirth, through sexual contact with an infected individual, and through contact with an infected individual's blood, such as by sharing infected needles, syringes, or other injection-drug equipment.
  • Has an incubation period of 60-150 days, with an average of 90 days.

Hepatitis C:

  • Primarily transmitted through contact with an infected individual's blood, such as by sharing needles, syringes, and other injection-drug equipment. Also transmissible through sexual contact and from mothers to babies during childbirth.
  • Is much less common than the hepatitis B virus.
  • For more than half of people who become infected with the hepatitis C virus, it becomes a long-term, chronic infection, which can result in serious, even life-threatening health problems like cirrhosis and liver cancer.
  • People with chronic hepatitis C can often have no symptoms and don't feel sick.
  • Incubation period of 14-182 days, with an average range of 14-84 days.

For more information, refer to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention resources and/or talk to your MHS provider.

You also may be interested in...

Imaging Specialists Look Beyond the Skin

Article Around MHS
5/10/2023
U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Leila Liza Smith, a diagnostic imaging specialist with the 6th Medical Group, practices abdominal ultrasound procedures at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, on ct. 25, 2022. Smith evaluates the images produced by the ultrasound for abnormalities, such as lumps or nodules on the thyroid gland. (Photo by U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Lauren Cobin)

Diagnostic imaging specialists are medical professionals that use imaging equipment and soundwaves to form images of many parts of the body, known as ultrasounds. They are trained to acquire and analyze these sonographic images so that doctors can diagnose and treat many medical conditions.

Department of Defense Investing in Wearable Technology That Could Rapidly Predict Disease

Article Around MHS
5/8/2023
U.S. Air Force Airman Katiha Falcon wears a watch at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, on Dec. 3, 2020. The wearable technology is part of a study with the Defense Innovation Unit that will allow detection of illnesses such as COVID-19 within 48 hours. (Photo by Cynthia Griggs, U.S. Air Force)

The Defense Innovation Unit, in partnership with the private sector, has developed a wearable device that was highly successful during the COVID-19 pandemic in identifying infections.

Navy Nurse Corps Officer Responds to Medical Emergency on Grounded Ferry

Article Around MHS
4/26/2023
U.S. Navy Lt. Holly Sapien, Navy Nurse Corps officer assigned to Naval Hospital Bremerton (second from left), along with husband U.S. Navy Musician 1st Class Michael Sapien (far right), U.S. Navy Lt. Randy Le, Naval Hospital Bremerton registered dietitian (left) and Musician 3rd Class John Landis (back) pause for a selfie moment onboard the Bremerton to Seattle ferry Walla Walla after it ran aground on Bainbridge Island, April 15. During that time, Sapien responded to a medical emergency, taking the lead in stabilizing another passenger dealing with an epileptic seizure. (Courtesy photo).

When the Bremerton-Seattle ferry Walla Walla ran aground on a late-Saturday afternoon due to loss of power, U.S. Navy Lt. Holly Sapien’s attention became instantly directed elsewhere.

Navy Entomology Center of Excellence Arms the Department of Defense’s Experts in the Fight for Public Health

Article Around MHS
4/11/2023
U.S. Air Force Capt. Deanna Scheff (left) receiving pesticide application training from U.S. Air Force Ensign Benfry DeJesus (right) during the largest inter-agency pesticide certification course delivered in nearly five years on Naval Air Station Jacksonville. (Photo by U.S. Navy Lt. Nicholas Johnston)

Navy Entomology Center of Excellence staff trained and equipped active duty preventive medicine and civilian pest control personnel representing U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force, and U.S. Army during the largest inter-agency pesticide certification course delivered in nearly five years on Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Florida, Jan. 23.

Protecting Health is Naval Hospital Bremerton Industrial Hygienes Mission

Article Around MHS
4/10/2023
In conjunction with National Public Health week, April 3-9, Defense Health Agency commands like Naval Hospital Bremerton continue to provide protective support with a variety of public health specialty services to ensure the health and wellness of all those entrusted in their care. (Infographic by the Defense Health Agency).

In conjunction with National Public Health week, April 3-9, Defense Health Agency commands like Naval Hospital Bremerton continue to provide protective support with a variety of public health specialty services to ensure the health and wellness of all those entrusted in their care.

Defense Public Health Celebrates Opening of New $248 Million Public Health Laboratory

Article Around MHS
4/6/2023
Army Lt. Col. Scott Vial, Defense Centers for Public Health-Aberdeen Public Health Laboratory project manager, briefs Dr. Lester Martinez-Lopez, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, outside of one of two anechoic chambers used for radio frequency experiments in the Public Health Laboratory at Aberdeen Proving Ground South. (Defense Centers for Public Health-Aberdeen photo by Graham Snodgrass)

Dignitaries and distinguished guests gathered at Aberdeen Proving Ground South, formerly known as Edgewood, April 5 to celebrate the opening of the Department of Defense’s new Public Health Laboratory at Building E2850.

Protecting the Warfighter's Health and Readiness, Now and Into the Future

Article Around MHS
3/30/2023
An anopheles mosquito specimen sample sits under the microscope during a demonstration of the U.S. Army’s medical technology development and modernization efforts, Fort Detrick, Maryland, on Feb. 23. (Photo by Summer Abdoh, U.S. Army)

A cure for a debilitating and sometimes deadly disease, new treatments for working military dogs, a snakebite antidote, and a treatment for respiratory disease! See how years of research collaborations are providing protections for warfighters in remote places like never before.

Dental Team First to Treat Patients at New Redi Doti Dental Clinic

Article Around MHS
2/28/2023
U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Susan Gjekaj, Air Expeditionary Squadron pediatric dentist, operates on a student of the Johan Chelius School in Redi Doti, Suriname, on Feb. 13. Dental personnel from the Lesser Antilles Medical Assistance Team engaged with members in the Lokono and Kalin'a villages to provide extractions, fillings, cleanings and teach best practices for sustaining good oral hygiene. (U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Alexus Wilcox)

The dental professionals of the Lesser Antilles Medical Assistance Team were the first to see patients in a newly opened dental clinic in Redi Doti, Suriname. The Youth Dental Care Foundation’s Redi Doti clinic will serve patients in rural communities, making dental services and preventative care more easily accessible for the region in South America.

Opinion: Why a Healthy Heart Matters at Any Age

Article Around MHS
2/21/2023
National Heart Health Month composite

We often think of heart health as an issue for older people, but heart disease actually affects every age group. Here's some expert advice for developing healthier habits at the earliest age to improve your and your loved ones' odds of better heart health later in life.

Toxicologists Hold Vital Role in Protecting DOD Workforce

Article Around MHS
1/20/2023
Toxicologist working in laboratory

Among the DOD's priorities, protecting warfighters from enemy combatants and weapons is critical. But there are other scenarios, when undetected, that pose threat to the health of our military. Find out why that makes the job of a DOD toxicologists so important.

Public Health Nutritionist Shares Strategies, Resources for Meeting New Year Weight Loss Goals

Article Around MHS
1/12/2023
healthy food infographic

Don't give up on your 2023 resolution to lose weight! We've gathered some unique tips, tools, and strategies to help you stay the course and meet your goals.

Protect Yourself With Respiratory Illnesses on the Rise

Article Around MHS
12/19/2022
Military medical personnel administering vaccine

"Tis the season, and respiratory illnesses are on the rise. Learn critical health guidance about the viral triple threat of COVID-19, influenza, and the common cold, and the commonsense steps you can take to protect yourself and your family.

Public Health Nurses: Heroes for Health

Article Around MHS
12/14/2022
U.S. Navy Cmdr. Tracy R. Kraus head shot

In a world where public health is constantly being challenged, the need for front-line contenders in the fight against threats is rapidly increasing. The work of the Public Health Nurse is nothing short of heroic. Learn more about the extraordinary dedication and arduous work it takes for Public Health Nurses to keep the warfighter population healthy and fit to fight and win.

Big Hearts from Small, Small Places

Article Around MHS
12/13/2022
Military personnel demonstrating CPR

Sailors stand in a red and white metal space filled with folded wheelchairs and various medical equipment, each paired with a plastic torso and dummy infant at their feet. All eyes are fixed on the only voice in the room. The voice, carefully but clearly asking questions and giving out instructions, comes from a woman adorned in blue coveralls with her dark hair pulled back in a neat bun. U.S. Navy Hospital Corpsman 2nd class Johana Chi, from a small town in El Salvador, teaches CPR.

New Work Group Looks at Preventive Health Measures for Service Members

Article Around MHS
12/9/2022
U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Christopher Mohan

The U.S. Coast Guard is now prioritizing a review of health-related data to determine how to reduce illness and injuries within the workforce. This shift is prompted by a policy update within the Coast Guard Medical Manual COMDTINST 6000.7, as well as the new Population Health Optimization Work Group that will impact members, civilians, dependents, and retirees.

Page 1 of 2 , showing items 1 - 15
First < 1 2 > Last 
Refine your search
Last Updated: January 24, 2023
Follow us on Instagram Follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Follow us on YouTube Sign up on GovDelivery