World Hepatitis Day: Save and protect your Liver

World Health Organisation (WHO) observes World Hepatitis Day on July 28, every year to create awareness about the infectious disease among people. Its current global campaign aims to eliminate the infectious disease by 2030. Hepatitis kills about 1.4 million people every year worldwide and affects about hundreds of millions. The disease may present itself in the form of acute or chronic infection if not diagnosed in its earlier stage. There are no distinct symptoms in the early stages. The infection can go unobserved for years, and many people do not know they are infected until much later. This makes spreading awareness all the more important.

What is Hepatitis actually?

The liver has vital function of processing nutrients, filtering the blood and fighting infections in the body. “Hepatitis” means inflammation of the liver. When the liver is inflamed, its function can be affected. Heavy alcohol use, toxins, some medications, and certain medical conditions can cause hepatitis. However, hepatitis is most often caused by a virus. There are five main hepatitis viruses – A, B, C, D and E. Hepatitis A and E are short-term, while B and C may become chronic. Hepatitis D occurs only in those patients who are infected with Hepatitis B.

How would you know if you have Hepatitis ?

The only way to know if you have Hepatitis B is to get tested.

Hepatitis A and E

The most common types of infection found in India, South-Asian and African countries are Hepatitis A and E. Caused by HAV and HEV viruses respectively, Hepatitis A and E are transmitted through contaminated food and water. The infections caused by HAV and HEV are self-limiting and are 100% curable. The patient may experience flu-like symptoms.

Hepatitis B, D and C

HBV, HCV and HDV spread from infected person to another through blood and body fluids. The infection can also be vertical - spreading from mother to child at the time of birth. The viruses may also spread through blood transfusion, contaminated needles, unsterilised tattoo needles and razors.

When a person is infected by HBV, his/her immune system may fight against the foreign body and may clear them from the body within 6 months. But if this does not happen within six months, then the infection becomes chronic. The patient becomes a carrier of the viruses and  may pass on the infection to others through blood or body fluid.

These viruses are like silent killers. For instance, HCV remain dormant in the system for 10 to 15 years and start to impair the liver in the later stages

The hepatitis B virus may or may not cause symptoms. One third of the infected people get jaundice. Chronic hepatitis B is treated with antiviral medications, which limits the damage done to the liver.

But the good news about Hepatitis B is the availability of vaccine. Children are administered vaccination in three dosages and it can be administered to people of any age. HCV can completely be eradicated from the system through treatment.

Symptoms:

The damage occurs in stages. Many people with Hepatitis B do not have symptoms and do not know they are infected. If symptoms occur, they can include: fever, feeling tired, lack of appetite, upset stomach, dark urine, grey-colored stool, joint pain, pains over the liver, and jaundice.

The next stage is fibrosis when scar tissue starts to build up. This later develops into cirrhosis, when the scarring takes over most of the liver. Liver failure and liver cancer are the advanced stages of the infection.

How is Hepatitis B treated?

There is treatment available at every stage of the infection. For those with acute Hepatitis, doctors usually recommend rest, adequate nutrition, fluids, and close medical monitoring. Some people may need to be hospitalized

How to prevent Hepatitis ?

·         Getting vaccinated against hepatitis B

·       Adopting hygiene practices. Washing your hands before eating food and after using the toilet

·         Avoid excessive intake of alcohol

·         Avoiding road-side eateries

·         Ensuring the food and water you consume are contamination-free

·         Ensuring the use of safe needles and razors in tattoo parlours and salons

·         Ensuring safe blood transfusion

·         Getting a screening done for hepatitis regularly

This World Hepatitis day take an oath to prevent your liver from this infectious disease and let’s take a step forward in this mission of eradicating Hepatitis by 2030.

References:

www.cdc.gov/hepatitis

It’s never too late to start exercising!

Regular physical activity and exercises are important for both physical and mental health. Being active will keep chronic diseases and health conditions at a bay and provide you long-term health benefits. 

The health benefits of regular exercise and physical activity are hard to ignore. Everyone benefits from exercise, regardless of age, sex or physical ability. Exercise also helps to improve mood and boosts energy. It is never too late to start exercising, scientists claimed, as research showed adults who begin to work out in their later years still appear to live longer and have a lower risk of disability which aids in leading healthy and independent life.

Recently I read about a Canadian lady who didn’t take up ­exercise till she was 77. At the age of 93, she was an athletics ­champion with 30 world records to her name!

Scientists at the University of Illinois, US, were keen to study her to see what late-life exercise could do for her brain  – and brains like hers. And after she died at 95 two years back, it was found that her brain was quite different from other 90-plus people. The white matter in the brain which carries messages from one part to another had fewer abnormalities and the part responsible for memory, the hippocampus, was bigger. The overall image was that her brain was younger than her age.

How come? A follow-up study on 60 to 80-year-olds showed that the more active they were, the healthier their patterns of brain activity compared to more sedentary people. In another study it is found that walking or cycling for just 20 minutes a day can significantly reduce a 60-year-old man’s risk of heart failure by a fifth. The research also found that men who were the least active were at nearly 50% higher risk of heart failure than the average 60-year-old.

How to begin?

1. Get a checkup before a workout. A visit to your doctor is sensible for anyone beginning an exercise program, but it's important for the elderly or adults who have been inactive because of health problems.

2. Start slowly. Begin your workout program slowly and gradually increase the time. Start with simple walking or cycling or some breathing and warm up exercises. Don’t overdo it on the first day and injure your muscles.

3.  Go more often. At least exercise for 5 days a week.

4. Don’t go alone. Take your partner or buddy with you so that you stick to the program and take it as fun activity and not burden.

5. Do what you love. Opt for an activity which you enjoy doing, it can be, tennis, swimming, badminton, cycling or the simplest old school favorite walking.

Exercise and physical activity are a great way to feel better, boost your health and have fun. So pull up your socks, put your shoes and squeeze in!!

References:

http://www.webmd.com

http://www.mirror.co.uk