Viral hepatitis

Japanese: ウイルス性肝炎 - ウイルスせいかんえん（英語表記）Viral hepatitis

What is the disease?

Hepatitis is a disease caused by infection of the liver by various hepatitis viruses, resulting in liver dysfunction.

What is the cause?

It is caused by infection with hepatitis viruses such as types A, B, and C, Epstein-Barr virus, cytomegalovirus, and herpes viruses.

There are various routes of infection. Hepatitis A virus is transmitted through seafood (raw fish). oyster ( persimmon ) The illness often occurs after eating foods such as:

Hepatitis B virus is transmitted from mother to child, especially through contact with maternal blood during childbirth ( Birth canal infection ( Thank you for your inquiry. ) Some newborns and infants may become carriers and later develop liver lesions.

Previously, hepatitis C virus was transmitted mostly through blood transfusions, but recently, mother-to-child transmission has become more prevalent.

The EB virus is saliva ( Daeki ) Cytomegalovirus is transmitted through the bloodstream. It can be transmitted congenitally when a pregnant woman is first infected, through the birth canal during childbirth, or after a blood transfusion.

How symptoms manifest

Fever, jaundice ( Royal ) , Easy ( stomach ) Symptoms such as fatigue (easily tired) and loss of appetite may persist, but generally children are often asymptomatic.

Acute hepatitis B is Skin rash ( Disappointment ) ( rash ( Hoshin ) ) may be accompanied by EB virus infection (Gianotti disease). Infectious mononucleosis ( Electric teacher special recruitment ) ) may cause a skin rash or swelling of the lymph nodes in the neck and head. Microcephaly ( Shooting ) or Ventricles ( Noushu ) surrounding calcification, Retinitis ( Momakuen ) etc. may occur.

In cases of infection after birth, blood tests may reveal mild liver dysfunction, but most cases are asymptomatic.

Testing and diagnosis

If symptoms such as fever, fatigue, and loss of appetite persist, and jaundice and hepatomegaly are observed, a blood test is required. In viral hepatitis, the levels of liver enzymes such as ALT (GOT) and AST (GPT) increase.

We will check your family history, travel history abroad, blood transfusion history, etc., and check the immunoglobulin M (IgM) class antibody titer for suspected viruses. We may also check the DNA or RNA of these viruses or measure their quantity to evaluate the disease.

Treatment methods

Viral hepatitis is often asymptomatic in children and often resolves naturally. If liver cell-derived enzymes are increased, liver cell enzymes such as glycerol may be involved. Protective Medicine ( Higoyaku ) If symptoms are severe, steroids may be used to suppress liver inflammation.

Interferon is also used for treatment of hepatitis B and C. Compared to adults, the incidence of side effects such as fever is thought to be lower in children.

What to do if you notice an illness

If symptoms such as fever, fatigue, and loss of appetite persist, consult a pediatrician. Blood tests will be performed if necessary. If liver dysfunction is confirmed, Fulminant hepatitis ( Theater exhibition ) Symptoms can progress rapidly, so regular check-ups are essential.

Yoshikazu Otsuka

Source: Houken “Sixth Edition Family Medicine Encyclopedia” Information about the Sixth Edition Family Medicine Encyclopedia

Japanese:

どんな病気か

　肝臓に各種の肝炎ウイルスが感染し、肝機能障害を起こす病気です。

原因は何か

　A型、B型、C型などの肝炎ウイルス、EBウイルス、サイトメガロウイルス、ヘルペスウイルスなどの感染が原因です。

　感染経路はさまざまです。A型肝炎ウイルスによる肝炎は、海産物（生牡蠣(かき)など）を食べたあとに多く発症します。

　B型肝炎ウイルスは母子感染、とくに出産時の母体血との接触（産道感染(さんどうかんせん)）が原因になります。新生児・乳幼児の一部はキャリア化し、のちに肝病変へ進行することがあります。

　C型肝炎ウイルスは、以前は輸血による感染が多くを占めましたが、最近は、母子感染によるものの割合が多くなっています。

　EBウイルスは、唾液(だえき)を介して感染します。サイトメガロウイルスは、妊婦の初感染に伴う先天性感染と、分娩時の産道感染や輸血後感染などがあります。

症状の現れ方

　発熱、黄疸(おうだん)、易(い)疲労感（疲れやすい）、食欲不振などの症状が続く場合もありますが、一般的に小児では無症状が多くなります。

　急性B型肝炎は、皮疹(ひしん)（発疹(ほっしん)）を伴う場合もあります（ジアノッティ病）。EBウイルス感染（伝染性単核球症(でんせんせいたんかくきゅうしょう)）でも、皮疹（発疹）が現れたり首や頭部などのリンパ節がはれることがあります。先天性サイトメガロウイルス感染症では、小頭症(しょうとうしょう)や脳室(のうしつ)周囲の石灰化、網膜炎(もうまくえん)などが起こることがあります。