Chronic Hepatitis

Usually, chronic hepatitis is caused by the hepatitis B or C virus or certain drugs

Most people have no symptoms, but some people may feel a little sick, tired, or not hungry

Sometimes, chronic hepatitis can cause serious problems over time, such as cirrhosis Cirrhosis of the Liver Your liver is a football-sized organ on the right side of your belly, just below your ribs. It has many important jobs: To make a liquid (bile) that helps your body digest fat To process nutrients... read more

Chronic hepatitis can last for years

Doctors can treat chronic hepatitis with medicine, but you may need a liver transplant Liver Transplantation Liver transplantation is the surgical removal of a healthy liver or sometimes a part of a liver from a living person and then its transfer into a person whose liver no longer functions. (See... read more eventually

Some kinds of medicine, especially if you take them for a long time

Certain diseases, such as alcoholic hepatitis Alcohol-Related Liver Disease Your liver is a football-sized organ on the right side of your belly, just below your ribs. It has many important jobs: To make a liquid (bile) that helps your body digest fat To process nutrients... read more , fatty liver disease Fatty Liver Fatty liver is an abnormal accumulation of certain fats (triglycerides) inside liver cells. People with fatty liver may feel tired or have mild abdominal discomfort but otherwise have no symptoms... read more , and others

Autoimmune reactions Autoimmune Diseases The immune system is your body's defense system. It helps protect you from illness and infection. The immune system usually attacks invading bacteria, viruses, and cancer cells. With an autoimmune... read more (when the body attacks the liver)

Feeling a little sick, tired, and less hungry

Sometimes, a mild fever and pain in your upper belly area

Swelling from fluid building up in your belly area (ascites Ascites Ascites is the accumulation of protein-containing (ascitic) fluid within the abdomen. Many disorders can cause ascites, but the most common is high blood pressure in the veins that bring blood... read more )

Small, spiderlike blood vessels on your skin (spider angioma Spider Angiomas A spider angioma is a small, bright-red spot on the skin that's surrounded by thin red lines. These lines may look a little bit like a tiny spider, which is how it gets its name. It's not caused... read more )

Red palms

Trouble thinking clearly

Bleeding easily

Jaundice Jaundice in Adults Jaundice is a yellow color to your skin and the whites of your eyes. Jaundice is caused by a buildup of a substance called bilirubin Bilirubin is a yellow substance your body makes when it breaks... read more

Itchiness

Bad-smelling, greasy looking, light-colored stool (poop)

Autoimmune symptoms like joint pain and, for women, no periods

Do blood tests

Take a small sample of your liver to look at under a microscope (biopsy)

If a certain medicine is the cause, your doctor will have you stop taking the medicine

If hepatitis B, C, or E is the cause, your doctor will give you medicine to treat the virus

If you’re having an autoimmune reaction Autoimmune Diseases The immune system is your body's defense system. It helps protect you from illness and infection. The immune system usually attacks invading bacteria, viruses, and cancer cells. With an autoimmune... read more , your doctor will give you corticosteroids to decrease the inflammation in the liver

If you have severe liver failure Liver Failure Your liver is an organ in the upper right part of your belly. The liver does many important things: Breaks down chemicals and drugs Makes digestive fluid called bile Produces many important... read more , you may need a liver transplant Liver Transplantation Liver transplantation is the surgical removal of a healthy liver or sometimes a part of a liver from a living person and then its transfer into a person whose liver no longer functions. (See... read more