How is hepatitis caused

Hepatitis is a liver inflammation caused by various factors, with complex and diverse causes, mainly including viral infection, alcohol stimulation, drug damage, autoimmune abnormalities, long-term bile stasis, etc.

1. Viral infection: Hepatitis A, B, C, D, and E viruses are the main pathogens. Hepatitis B virus can be transmitted through blood, mother to child, and sexual contact, and can cause chronic hepatitis and even cirrhosis; Hepatitis A and E viruses are transmitted through the fecal oral route, often leading to acute hepatitis. Viral hepatitis kills more than one million people every year in the world, which is second only to tuberculosis.

2. Alcohol stimulation: Long term heavy drinking is the core cause of alcoholic hepatitis. Alcohol metabolite acetaldehyde can directly damage the liver cell membrane, leading to lipid degeneration, mitochondrial dysfunction, and ultimately causing hepatitis and cirrhosis. Women are more sensitive to alcohol toxicity due to their lower metabolic enzyme activity, and their risk of developing the disease is twice that of men.

3. Drug induced liver injury: Antibiotics, antipyretic analgesics, anti tuberculosis drugs, and more than 1000 other drugs may cause drug-induced liver injury. Drug metabolites or immune reactions can damage liver cells, resulting in symptoms such as fatigue and jaundice. Elderly people have significantly increased medication risks due to decreased metabolic enzyme activity.

4. Autoimmune abnormalities: The immune system mistakenly attacks liver cells, leading to autoimmune hepatitis. This disease is highly prevalent in females (male to female ratio 1:4), characterized by hyperglobulinemia, positive autoantibodies, and in severe cases, it can rapidly progress to cirrhosis.

5. Long term cholestasis: Diseases such as biliary obstruction and primary biliary cholangitis can lead to obstruction of bile excretion, accumulation of toxic substances such as bile acids in the liver, causing liver cell inflammation, necrosis, and even biliary cirrhosis. This type of hepatitis is often accompanied by symptoms such as skin itching and jaundice, and needs to be diagnosed through imaging or liver biopsy. The prevention and treatment of hepatitis require precise intervention based on the cause, such as vaccination to prevent viral hepatitis, strict abstinence from alcohol to avoid alcohol damage, standardized medication to reduce drug risks, and timely relief of obstruction in cholestatic diseases. If liver fibrosis occurs, follow the doctor's advice to use Fuzheng Huayu Capsules to regulate the liver microenvironment, inhibit astrocyte activation, and delay the reversal of fibrosis. It is recommended to undergo regular liver function screening for early detection and treatment.