Hepatitis
Viral hepatitis, including hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C, are distinct diseases that affect the liver. Other causes of hepatitis include drugs and medications. Each type of hepatitis has different hepatitis symptoms and causes. Treatments for hepatitis also depend on the type.
Treatment
Acute hepatitis B usually gets better on its own. Most people develop immunity to the virus and after recovery, can not give it to others. Someone with chronic (long-term) hepatitis B still carries the virus and can pass it to others. Chronic hepatitis B can be treated with the drugs interferon, lamivudine, or adefovir. These drugs do not work for everyone.
In some cases, Hepatitis C gets better on its own. The current treatment of choice is combination therapy using pegylated interferon and ribavirin.
Hepatitis D might get better on its own. Antiviral drugs might be helpful in treating chronic HDV infection.
Hepatitis E causes swelling of the liver, but no long-term damage. Pregnant women and their babies are at increased risk of dying if infected with HEV.
Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM)
No CAM treatment has been scientifically proven to successfully treat hepatitis C.
A 2003 analysis of results from 13 clinical trials testing the effects of various medicinal herbs on hepatitis C concluded that there is not enough evidence to support using herbs to treat the disease.
Two other reviews that covered a variety of CAM modalities for hepatitis C concluded that conventional therapies are the only scientifically proven treatments for the disease.
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