Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver that can cause a range of health problems and that also can be fatal.
There are five main strains of the hepatitis virus, referred to as types A, B, C, D and E. While they all cause liver disease, they differ in how they’re transmitted, how severe an illness they cause, and how to prevent each. Hepatitis B and C are especially virulent, in that they lead to chronic disease in hundreds of millions of people, and together are the most common cause of liver cirrhosis, cancer and viral hepatitis-related deaths. The World Health Organization (W.H.O.) estimates that well over 2 billion people worldwide have contracted at least one of the five hepatitis strains.
Of particular concern to us in the substance use disorder treatment field is alcoholic hepatitis, caused by excessive intake of alcohol. Around 1 out of 3 chronic alcohol users develops alcoholic hepatitis, with 70% of those with persistent alcoholic hepatitis progressing to cirrhosis of the liver.
Click here below to download Tully Hill Medical Director Dr. Gregory Serfer’s comprehensive presentation on hepatitis, and learn all about the causes, consequent health problems, current treatment of, and ways to prevent hepatitis A,B,C,D,E strains and alcoholic hepatitis.
