What is hepatitis?

Hepatitis means inflammation of your liver. Your liver has a range of important functions that are essential to life.

Hepatitis is most often caused by an infection. It can also be caused by:

• drugs
• alcohol
• a problem with your immune system
• fatty liver disease

Some types of hepatitis pass without causing any ongoing problems. Other types of hepatitis can cause liver cirrhosis (scarring), and sometimes liver cancer.

What symptoms are related to hepatitis?

Acute (short-term) hepatitis often has no symptoms, so you may not know you have it.

If you do get symptoms, they can be:

• muscle and joint pain
• fever
• tiredness
• nausea and loss of appetite
• abdominal (tummy) pain
• clay-coloured stools (poo) and dark urine (wee)
• jaundice — a yellowing of the skin and eyes

You can also have chronic (long-term) hepatitis without any symptoms.

What causes hepatitis?

There are 5 types of viruses that cause hepatitis. These are:

1. hepatitis A — caused by the hepatitis A virus
2. hepatitis B — caused by the hepatitis B virus
3. hepatitis C — caused by the hepatitis C virus
4. hepatitis D — caused by the hepatitis D virus, but also needs the hepatitis B virus to be present
5. hepatitis E — caused by the hepatitis E virus

There are other types of hepatitis that are not infectious, including:

• autoimmune hepatitis — where your immune system attacks and damages your liver
• alcoholic hepatitis — caused by drinking too much alcohol over many years

Having one type of hepatitis doesn’t stop you from getting other types.

How are the hepatitis viruses spread?

Disease	Routes of transmission
Hepatitis A	Is spread through eating or drinking something that has been in contact with infected faeces (poo). It can also happen when you don't wash your hands properly after using the bathroom.
Hepatitis B	Is carried in your blood. It can be spread: from mother to baby between household members between sexual partners
Hepatitis C	Is spread via blood. This may be from: sharing or re-using other people's needles, syringes and injecting equipment tattooing and body piercing mother to baby medical care overseas
Hepatitis D	You can only get hepatitis D if you already have hepatitis B.
Hepatitis E	Spread by eating some types of meat products or drinking water infected with faeces (poo).

When should I see my doctor?

See your doctor if you have any symptoms that you think could be caused by hepatitis.

FIND A HEALTH SERVICE — The Service Finder can help you find doctors, pharmacies, hospitals and other health services.

How is hepatitis diagnosed?

Your doctor will talk to you and examine you for signs of hepatitis. Your doctor will arrange for you to have blood tests if they think you may have hepatitis. Sometimes they may arrange for you to have an ultrasound.

Hepatitis is a notifiable disease. This means that if you do have hepatitis, the lab must tell the local public health authority. They may ask to talk with you to try and find out where you caught the infection.

How is hepatitis treated?

Disease	Treatments
Hepatitis A	If you think you could have hepatitis A, talk to your doctor straight away. You can get a treatment which can stop hepatitis A.
Hepatitis B	The most common medicines for hepatitis B are antiviral tablets. You take these every day for a year or more.
Hepatitis C	Medicines called direct-acting antivirals can cure hepatitis C. You'll need to take the tablets for 8 to 12 weeks.
Hepatitis D	For most people there are no treatments that work well. The current medicines for hepatitis B do not work. Some people have successfully used pegylated interferon alpha (PEG IFN-⍺).
Hepatitis E	Severe infections may need treatment with antiviral therapy to stop you getting liver failure.

Can hepatitis be prevented?

Disease	Treatments
Hepatitis A	Good hand washing practices and the hepatitis A vaccine.
Hepatitis B	The hepatitis B vaccine.
Hepatitis C	Injecting drug users should use clean needles. People with HIV or multiple partners should have safe sex.
Hepatitis D	Hepatitis B vaccination.
Hepatitis E	Travellers to areas where hepatitis E is common should try to avoid: drinking contaminated water eating raw vegetables, fruit, or undercooked meat

Resources and support

You can learn more about hepatitis on the Hepatitis Australia website. They also have hepatitis information in languages other than English.

The National Hepatitis Infoline can direct you to hepatitis information and local support services. Call on 1800437222 during their operating hours.

You can also call the healthdirect helpline on 1800022222 (known as NURSE-ON-CALL in Victoria). A registered nurse is available to speak with 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.