Hepatitis is a liver disease that makes your liver swelland keeps it from working correctly. Hepatitis may be caused by viruses or by medicines or alcohol. Hepatitis has the following forms:
Hepatitis A
A virus most often spread by contaminated food and water by feces of a person with hepatitis A virus, or HAV.
Hepatitis B
A virus commonly spread by sexual intercourse or blood transfusion, or from mother to newborn at birth. Another way it spreads is by using a needle that was used by an infected person. Hepatitis B is more common and much more easily spread than the AIDS virus and may lead to cirrhosis and liver cancer.
Hepatitis C
A virus spread by blood transfusion and possibly by sexual intercourse or sharing needles with infected people. Hepatitis C may lead to cirrhosis and liver cancer. Hepatitis C used to be called non-A, non-B hepatitis.
Hepatitis D (Delta)
A virus that occurs mostly in people who take illegal drugs by using needles. Only people who have hepatitis B can get hepatitis D.
Hepatitis E
A virus spread mostly through unclean water. This type of hepatitis is common in developing countries. It has not occurred in the United States.
To learn more about hepatitis, visit our Hepatitis page.
Source: Digestive Diseases Dictionary E-K. National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse (NDDIC). National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). NIH Publication No. 00-2750: February 2000
This Page Last Revised: August 2, 2012
Hepatitis A
A virus most often spread by contaminated food and water by feces of a person with hepatitis A virus, or HAV.
Hepatitis B
A virus commonly spread by sexual intercourse or blood transfusion, or from mother to newborn at birth. Another way it spreads is by using a needle that was used by an infected person. Hepatitis B is more common and much more easily spread than the AIDS virus and may lead to cirrhosis and liver cancer.
Hepatitis C
A virus spread by blood transfusion and possibly by sexual intercourse or sharing needles with infected people. Hepatitis C may lead to cirrhosis and liver cancer. Hepatitis C used to be called non-A, non-B hepatitis.
Hepatitis D (Delta)
A virus that occurs mostly in people who take illegal drugs by using needles. Only people who have hepatitis B can get hepatitis D.
Hepatitis E
A virus spread mostly through unclean water. This type of hepatitis is common in developing countries. It has not occurred in the United States.
To learn more about hepatitis, visit our Hepatitis page.
Source: Digestive Diseases Dictionary E-K. National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse (NDDIC). National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). NIH Publication No. 00-2750: February 2000
This Page Last Revised: August 2, 2012
