Hepatitis

When you have hepatitis, usually, you'll turn yellow.

1) What's gray, visits you when you're sick, and breaks a chair? Click here for the answer.

When someone has hepatitis, they will probably feel itchy.

2) Why did the hen go to the doctor? Click here for the answer.

The liver is one of most important organs in your body. That's why you want to do as much as you can to prevent hepatitis.

3) What happened to the man who drank varnish? Click here for the answer.

Hepatitis is a very serious liver infection. Hepatitis enlarges it so that it doesn't work quite right.

It’s tricky, it’s quiet, and it can cause harm to your liver! It’s called hepatitis (hep-uh-tight-iss), and people can get it if they’re not cautious. Some people can have hepatitis for several years and they don’t even notice it. Then they realize they have liver damage because of it. So, be alert, take good care of yourself, and don’t let hepatitis creep up on you.

23 hours and 56 minutes (that’s the true length of the day), without stopping, your liver performs many tasks to keep your body operating easily. It’s located on the right (not left) side of your body close to your abdomen. Here are some descriptions for the liver:

1. It’s similar to a vacuum! It takes poisons out of your blood.

2. It’s like a storage room! It supplies vitamins and minerals and makes sure your body gets the right amount of them.

3. It’s like a bodybuilder! It produces the perfect amount of amino acids. Amino acids help build strong, and healthy muscles.

4. It’s like a gas station! It makes sure your body is always fueled up with just the right amount of glucose (sugar).

5. It’s like a meter! It will control any medicines you are taking. Before some medicines can work, the liver has to warm ‘em up. It also controls the hormones in your body.

6. It’s like a factory! It makes an important digestive liquid called bile.

Taking care of your liver is for you to decide. One way to do it is to watch out for hepatitis.

Hepatitis is an enlargement or infection of your liver. Once your liver enlarges or gets scarred from the infection, it can’t successfully do all of its tasks.

There are different ways to get hepatitis. The two most common forms are irritation, or toxic hepatitis, and viruses. Unless you drink lots of alcohol, use too many drugs, or are regularly open to the poisons in your school or at home, you probably don’t have to worry about getting inflammatory hepatitis. As for the viruses… There are lots of them-from hepatitis A virus (for short, Hep A) all the way to hepatitis G. Even though each virus is a little different than the next, they all share one thing in common: they all take over healthy cells and cause infections and irritation. The three main types of Hepatitis you need to know about are types A, B, and C.

Hepatitis A

For kids, Hep A is the most common type of hepatitis that you can get. It lives in stool (feces). If someone doesn’t wash their hands well after going to the bathroom, and then they touch food, Hep A might end up in your body. Sometimes, feces poisons the water that is used to water vegetables and fruits, then they’re not washed with purified water. Plus it could poison shellfish (like shrimp, oysters, crayfish, and lobsters) that are living in the poisoned water. So, if fruits, shellfish, and veggies aren’t washed well, you could get Hep A.

If you don’t want to get Hep A, here are some ways to prevent getting it;

1. Wash your hands regularly. Particularly after going to the bathroom, or before you eat.

2. If you baby-sit, wash your hands after you change a diaper.

3. Wash all fruits and vegetables thoroughly.

4. Stay away from raw shellfish.

The best protection against Hep A for someone who travels to places where it easily gets into the nutrition supply is for that person to get a vaccination. If you do get one, your body will have the strength to fight Hep A if you ever have contact with it. These are some of the organs that are near your belly button. The liver is included.

Hepatitis B and C

Even though Hep A is a temporary illness that goes away entirely, Hep B and Hep C can become serious long-term or ever-lasting illnesses for some people. Teens and young adults are in the most danger for getting these two viruses. So, if you’re on your way to becoming a teen, you may want to read these paragraphs carefully.

Hep B and Hep C get passed from person to person the same ways that HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) does – through exact contact with infected body fluids and by sharing drug needles that are contaminated with infected blood. Hep B and C are even more easily passed in fluids and needles than HIV! Sexual contact, injecting drugs, and even getting a tattoo from a place that reuses filthy needles are all hazard factors for getting hepatitis.

A small number of people get Hep B or Hep C in other ways. Sometimes, moms with hepatitis B or C give the virus to their babies when they’re born. Anyone who gets accidentally stuck with a dirty needle could get Hep B or C too.

Here are some ways to avoid Hep B and C;

Get a vaccination. Today, all babies regularly get vaccinations against Hep B, but there isn’t one for Hep C yet.
Wash your hands regularly (before meals, after using the restroom, etc.).
Don’t do drugs.
Never ever, EVER have unprotected sex.
If you ever get stuck with an unclean needle, tell a grown-up immediately.
Try not to get into the following situations (unless you’re 100% sure that the tools have been properly cleaned and are germ-free):
Getting a tattoo or body piercing (that includes getting your ears pierced)
Having a manicure (that’s when you get your finger nails painted by a professional)
Using somebody else’s nail clippers, scissors, razors, and tweezers

Symptoms of Hepatitis

Some signs to help you watch out for hepatitis are :

1. Extra tiredness that is unexplained.

2. Symptoms that are similar to the flu – vomiting, feeling warm, achy etc.

3. Skin and whites of eyes are yellowing

4. Stomach pains that are on the upper right side Stomach pains.

5. Dark brown urine

6. Light colored feces

7. Itchiness without a rash

8. Bad appetite for a couple days in a row or weight loss

If you have any or all of these symptoms, ask yourself some questions, such as:

1. Have I been traveling or do I live somewhere other than in North America?

2. Have I been in contact with someone who has traveled across the seas recently?

3. Have I been near anyone who works in health care or in childcare?

4. Did I get stuck with a dirty needle or possibly have a process (like a piercing) done with a dirty needle?

5. Have I had direct fluid contact with someone who has or has had hepatitis?

If the answer is yes to any of these questions, tell your parents so that they can make an appointment for you to visit the doctor A.S.A.P. The doctor might give you blood tests to see if you have hepatitis.

Living Together With Hepatitis

If the blood tests prove that you have hepatitis, you will need to get A TON of rest (yes, even if you feel okay), drink A TON of fluids, and eat healthy foods. If your family members haven’t been vaccinated, they will probably have to get the vaccination sooner or later.

In a while, you will have more blood tests. Usually, the blood tests will show that you don’t have hepatitis anymore. But sometimes, the blood tests will show that you have become a carrier of hepatitis. This happens in one out of every nine people who have Hep B or C. What that means is that you won’t have symptoms, but you con give them to other people.

With Hep B and C, sometimes the blood tests might show you have chronic or long-term hepatitis. If so, you need to eat healthy foods, and take extra good care of yourself. In addition, you will need to get A TON of rest and visit the doctor regularly. You might need to get some special medicine. It depends on the conditions that you’re in.

I hope this info will help you stay safe or get well. And remember to wash your hands!

Citations

Web Sites

The Nemours Foundation. "KidsHealth for Kids" 1995-2004. <http://www.kidshealth.org/kid/> (January-February, 2004).

WebMD Corporation. "Understanding AIDS/HIV-the Basics." 1996-2004.
<http://aolsvc.health.webmd.aol.com/content/article/7/1680_53963?z=1624_00000_0000_rl_01> (December, 2003).

Images

Images of organs and stomach pains from "Microsoft Office Online" <http://office.microsoft.com/clipart/default.aspx?cag=1> Images free for non-profit and personal use. (October-February, 2003-2004).

Book

Bernstein, Joanne E. and Paul Cohen. Dizzy Doctor Riddles. Niles, Illinois: Albert Whitman & Company. 1989.

Joke Answers

1) A get-wellephant. Return

2) For her annual chick-up. Return.

3) It polished him off. Return.