BY SANDRA GUY

Though coronavirus testing remains top-of-mind, World Hepatitis Day July 28 reminds us there’s another important test.

Hepatitis poses a complicated dilemma, but the result can damage your liver if you fail to address it.

The three types of hepatitis, according to WebMD, are:

• Hepatitis A — This type can be prevented with a vaccine and, if treated, won’t cause long-term liver damage.
• Hepatitis B — A vaccine can prevent this type, but if you don’t know you’re infected, you can spread it.
• Hepatitis C — About 80 percent of people with Type C may have no symptoms but get a long-term infection that can lead to a scarring of the liver. No vaccine exists to prevent it.

 

But symptoms can act as warnings for all three types. They include stomach pain, dark urine, low-grade fever, loss of appetite and yellowing of the skin or eyes.

Hepatitis can be spread by sharing dirty needles, having sex with someone who’s infected or having direct contact with blood or body fluids of someone who’s infected.

It’s worth checking with a physical exam and blood tests. Some doctors also check with a sonogram, a liver biopsy or a CAT scan.

Those at risk of Hepatitis also include people who’ve traveled to countries where it’s endemic, or with a lack of safe water and poor hygiene, or where there’s been an outbreak among intravenous drug users or among those who have a clotting factor disorder. Anyone who has unprotected sex with multiple partners or with someone who’s already infected is at risk, too.

People who live with Hepatitis should get their liver checked regularly. Their partners should get vaccinated, and everyone should take precautions. Anyone with Hepatitis should refrain from drinking alcohol and from sharing toothbrushes, clippers, needles, nail files or anything that may have come in contact with his or her blood or bodily fluids.