Reactive hepatitis in children - what is it? How dangerous is it? Should we be afraid? In fact, many are asking similar questions. And there is nothing bad in this, as they say, forewarned means forearmed. Reactive hepatitis is a disease that affects the liver. The causes of infection can lie in intoxication, diseases of the digestive tract, severe infections and other possible disorders. Do not close your eyes to the worsening condition, pain in the right side and on the right side of the back, it is better to start treatment on time. But more on this later in the article.
Cyclophosphamide: Used to treat certain types of cancer. If the immunosuppressant drug is discontinued, the body's immune system can reactivate and cause severe liver inflammation. It is spread through contamination of contaminated blood, especially through illegal drug use, intravenous drug use and sexual contact. When this happens, infected people are quite sick, but over 95% can eventually eliminate viruses from their bodies. This often causes severe liver inflammation and viruses are less likely to be cleared.
The basic concept of reactive hepatitis
This disease is classified as a secondary type. Nonspecific reactive hepatitis, as a rule, gives way by the strength of infection to medication or which can be attributed to primary.
However, because of this classification, it does not become less dangerous. Liver tissue, responding to various kinds of extrahepatic diseases, can be affected by reactive hepatitis. The latter develops under the influence of toxins that spread throughout the body during prolonged, chronic or severe diseases.
This increases the risk of complications, especially cirrhosis, which occurs in two thirds of patients. There is no delta hepatitis vaccine. Interferon treatment can lead to improvement in hepatitis, but relapse is common after stopping therapy. Prevention includes avoiding contaminated needles and practicing safe sex.
How about co-infection with hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus? The two viruses interfere with each other and they usually predominate. Patients infected with both viruses are exposed to more high risk complications of liver disease. Individuals with hepatitis C should be vaccinated against hepatitis B to prevent coinfection. Human immunodeficiency virus and hepatitis B virus are transmitted in a similar way, and it is not uncommon for a person to have both infections.
More about the reasons
Often, the reasons why reactive hepatitis can develop lies in diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Liver damage occurs if the patient suffers from pancreatitis, gastritis, peptic ulcer of the duodenum and stomach, gastroduodenitis, colitis, or with the appearance of malignant neoplasms in the digestive tract. In this case, hepatitis can develop once. With proper and timely treatment, the disease can be quickly eradicated.
This includes patients with hepatic impairment due to end-stage cirrhosis or unusually severe hepatitis. Liver transplantation does not cure hepatitis B, and hepatitis can develop in the new liver. The use of these agents also improved long-term survival, with 75% to 85% of patients alive after five years. What can be done to prevent hepatitis B?
Hepatitis B is a preventable disease. Vaccination and post-exposure prophylaxis significantly reduce infection rates. The risk can also be reduced by avoiding unprotected sex, contaminated needles, and other sources of infection. How effective is hepatitis B vaccination?
However, there is also a permanent form of the disease. Chronic reactive hepatitis can appear due to diabetes mellitus, systemic lupus erythematosus, hemolytic anemia, nodular arthritis, thyrotoxicosis, and even ordinary rheumatism. It is worth noting that the chronic form of the disease is much more difficult and difficult to treat, so in any case, do not delay the visit to the doctor.
The hepatitis B vaccine contains a protein that stimulates the body to create protective antibodies. Three doses are needed to provide protection. There are also combination vaccines on the market that provide protection against hepatitis B and other diseases. Hepatitis B vaccines are effective and safe. IN medical professionals, high-level public safety workers, dialysis patients and sexual partners of infected people are advised to have a blood test for antibodies after vaccination to ensure that the person develops antibodies.
Reactive hepatitis in children
If the child often has allergies or has a chronic disease in the form of bronchial asthmareactive hepatitis should be feared. You should carefully monitor the state of your child, because everything can start with simple malaise and fatigue, as well as with a little tearfulness, which subsequently often develops into aggression. Hepatitis in children is often accompanied by constipation or diarrhea - you should pay special attention to these signs and not delay the diagnosis of the disease.
For those who do not form antibodies, booster vaccinations may improve response, especially in infants. Side effects from the vaccine are usually mild and involve soreness at the injection site. The risk of serious allergic reactions is less than one in a million doses. Vaccinations have reduced the number of new cases of hepatitis B by more than 75% in the United States. In the United States, hepatitis B vaccination is recommended for all newborns at birth. Older children and adolescents should receive the vaccine if they did not do so at birth.
Public safety personnel who may be exposed to blood. Individuals with multiple sexual partners. Persons with chronic liver disease. Residents and employees of institutions that care for people with developmental disabilities.
Symptoms
The symptoms of the disease are very specific. There are two subcategories of the disease - portal and lobular. This classification is used for different localization of inflammatory and dystrophic processes. Reactive hepatitis is almost always accompanied by small foci of necrosis located in different parts of the liver lobes. But since these symptoms are internal and indistinguishable, it is worth paying attention to the external condition of the patient. Often, the disease begins and proceeds with little or no signs of infection.
Individuals who require repeated transfusions or blood products. Centers that serve high-risk individuals are encouraged to provide the vaccine to their clients. These centers include dialysis units, drug addiction treatment facilities, sexually transmitted disease clinics and correctional facilities. Some countries have a high prevalence of hepatitis B in their populations. Travelers who visit these countries for a long period of time and those who may be exposed to blood or semen should consider getting vaccinated.
The most common symptoms of reactive hepatitis are weakness, malaise, and headaches. In addition, anxiety can be delivered by heaviness and pain in the hypochondrium on the right side, decreased appetite and nausea. It is possible that reactive hepatitis will be accompanied by yellowness of the skin, but only in rare cases. The easiest way to identify the disease is through tests: an increased content of liver enzymes in the blood, sometimes bilirubin, will help to give an accurate answer. On examination, a specialist can easily determine that the liver is moderately enlarged. This will push him to a more thorough examination of the organ and search for the causes of the ailment.
How effective is hepatitis B immune globulin in preventing hepatitis B? Examples of such exposures include needle trauma in healthcare professionals or sexual intercourse with an infected person. Vaccination provides long-term immunity in people who respond to the vaccine.
All pregnant women should have their blood tested to determine if they are infected. This 85% to 95% effectively eliminates the risk of hepatitis B in the infant. Experts are also working on treatment guidelines and use of multidrug therapy therapy.
Diagnosis of the disease
A knowledgeable doctor knows for sure that it is possible to talk about reactive hepatitis only after other causes of the disease have been excluded. The very first step is a blood test for viruses and infections. In addition, it is necessary to conduct research using an instrumental method. In some cases, a study of the histology of liver tissue taken by biopsy takes place.
Vaccination remains the key to preventing hepatitis B infection and holds the greatest promise for reducing the burden of disease. Some people with hepatitis B never clear the virus and become chronically infected. Many of these people look healthy but can spread the virus to others. Hepatitis B infection is transmitted through sexual contact, contact with contaminated blood, and from mother to child.
Blood tests can also identify people who are most at risk of complications. In the United States, 95% of adults who get hepatitis B are able to clear the virus and heal themselves of the infection. Those who acquire the infection in childhoodare much more likely to suffer from chronic infection. Chronic hepatitis B can lead to cirrhosis or liver failure.
Additionally, the patient is asked about the use of drugs, alcohol and various kinds of medications. If necessary, you can inquire about the working conditions in order to clarify the possibility of contamination in the workplace. In case of suspicion, an additional blood test is carried out by immunological means.
Approximately 15% to 25% of people with chronic infection die prematurely as a result of the infection. Progression viral infection chronic hepatitis B occurs insidiously, usually over several decades. The course is determined primarily by the age at which the hepatitis B viral infection is acquired and the interaction between the virus and the body's immune system.
The drugs are also effective in reducing inflammation and improving blood tests. This can delay or reduce complications such as cirrhosis. However, most people do not have a permanent response and relapse is common. Medicines do not cure the infection.
Reactive hepatitis: treatment
The most important thing in eradicating a disease is to eliminate the infection that caused it. The liver is a unique organ that has an excellent regenerative function, therefore, after eliminating the cause of the disease, the organ can recover on its own. A patient with reactive hepatitis must stop tolerating heavy loads, both physical and mental. It is worth paying attention to nutrition, excluding all harmful foods from the diet. If we talk about the drug side, then detoxification agents, enterosorbents, hepatoprotectors and vitamins are prescribed. In the presence of more severe forms of the disease, intravenous solutions are administered for more effective and faster detoxification.
Liver transplantation should be considered for patients with impending liver failure due to acute infection or progressive cirrhosis. A strong antibody to hepatitis B is produced by your immune system after infection with the hepatitis B virus, and it can last a lifetime. This is the immune system's response to a protein in the core of the virus, and is only present if you are infected, not immunized. When it turns out to be positive, your doctor will order additional tests to determine the stage of infection.
Note that reactive hepatitis does not always cause significant harm to the patient's health. The success of the cure lies in the timely access to the clinic and the strict fulfillment of all the doctor's prescriptions. Do not forget about the daily routine and proper nutrition. All these measures together will give a positive result and help eliminate the disease as soon as possible. In the presence of reactive hepatitis against the background of another chronic illness the latter should be monitored with extreme caution so as not to allow liver damage to develop.
These three tests are for acute and chronic infections. You may have hepatitis symptoms such as jaundice, fever, tiredness, pale stools, dark urine, nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite. Hepatitis B can be transmitted by blood or organ transplants, so donors are tested to prevent infection of recipients. A blood tube will be drawn from your vein, or a sample will be taken while donating blood. The blood is sent to a laboratory where it is tested.
There are two types of antibodies. Sometimes it persists for many years, but usually it drops to undetectable levels. Symptoms include an enlarged liver, fever, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and dark urine. Inflammation of the liver; usually from a viral infection, but sometimes from toxic agents. Formerly endemic throughout much of the developing world, viral hepatitis is now a major public health problem in industrialized countries. Rarely fatal, it cannot be treated other than bed rest for 1-4 weeks, during which no alcohol should be consumed. Its main mode of transmission is blood transfusion and possibly sexual intercourse. Inflammation of the liver. Inflammation of the liver and liver disease with degenerative or necrotic changes in hepatocytes. Inflammation of the liver; usually from a viral infection, but sometimes from toxic substances. Your liver helps your body digest food, store energy, and remove poisons. Hepatitis is a tumor in the liver that causes it to stop working well. This can lead to scarring caused by cirrhosis or cancer. Viruses cause most cases of hepatitis. Drug or alcohol use can also lead to hepatitis. Other times, your body mistakenly attacks its own tissues. You can help prevent some viral infections by getting a vaccine. Sometimes hepatitis will go away on its own. If it is not, it can be treated with drugs. Sometimes hepatitis lasts a lifetime. Some people who have hepatitis have no symptoms. Others may relieve appetite nausea and vomiting diarrhea dark colored urine and pale bowel movements abdominal pain jaundice, yellowing of the skin and eyes.
- Liver disease causes inflammation.
- Liver disease that causes inflammation.
- Hepatitis.
Reactive hepatitis is a non-specific disease. In fact, this is a secondary stage of inflammatory processes with the main area of \u200b\u200bdamage to internal organs, or rather, the liver and gastrointestinal tract. A specific pathology occurs due to drug exposure and exposure to toxic, infectious or alcoholic origin.
While some people who get hepatitis C can clear or get rid of the virus, most people who get infected develop a chronic or lifelong infection. Over time, chronic hepatitis C can lead to serious liver problems, including liver damage, cirrhosis, liver failure, or liver cancer. But many people can take advantage of available treatment options that can eliminate the virus from the body and prevent further liver damage.
Why do baby boomers have such high rates of hepatitis C?
Most people with hepatitis C do not know they are infected, so getting tested is the only way to know. The longer people live with undiagnosed hepatitis C and are not treated, the more likely they are to develop serious, life-threatening liver disease. Test results can help people find out if they are infected and get them into life-saving care and treatment. Baby Boomers are five times more likely to have hepatitis C than other adults. ... The reason why baby boomers have high rates of hepatitis C is not fully understood.
The progress of this disease, first of all, lies in non-standard etiology (root causes) - hepotoxic agents. A direct effect on the cellular structure of the liver causes dysfunctions. The liver tissue begins to gradually break down. The process of cell destruction is accompanied by a significant decline in the immune system. A specific disease is not unique to adults; reactive hepatitis in children is also not uncommon. Treatment is carried out by similar methods, adjusted for the patient's age.
Reactive hepatitis causes
Provided that reactive hepatitis is secondary, it should be borne in mind that its causes are an important point in the development of successful tactics for eliminating the disease. Since nonspecific reactive hepatitis is a consequence of another disease, the only way to cure it is to eliminate the root cause. Common pathogenic factors that cause a disease such as reactive hepatitis include:
- infectious diseases;
- pathology of the endocrine system;
- neurological ailments;
- congenital defects of immunity;
- diseases provoked by allergens;
- dysfunction of the gastrointestinal tract;
- dermatitis;
- bronchial asthma.
Common diseases provocateurs of reactive hepatitis:
- rheumatism;
- thyrotoxicosis;
- gallbladder disease;
- diabetes;
- polyarthritis nodular;
- colitis (ulcerative forms);
- pathology of the duodenum;
- hemolytic anemia;
- lupus erythematosus.
General clinical picture
Considering the general condition, the development of nonspecific reactive hepatitis is directly dependent on the impairment of the liver's ability to process toxic compounds, which affects the overall metabolic picture, adding additional damage to the liver tissues. The described moment leads to an aggravation of the whole picture, due to the fact that the process follows in a circle.
Histological parameters (tissue analysis) with reactive hepatitis do not undergo significant changes, but small clusters of cells affected by necrosis may form. Such results indicate that the process is fully reversible - the main thing is to determine the factor provoking the disease.
Symptoms
The overwhelming majority of patients do not have clear symptoms, and it is not possible to identify certain signs of reactive hepatitis. This is determined by the fact that the symptoms of the underlying disease-provocateur conceal the manifestations of liver problems. But, some manifestations, indirectly indicating malaise, have the following symptoms:
1. Yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes.
2. General weakness and increased fatigue.
3. Changing the color of urine to a darker one.
4. Pain in the head.
5. Vomiting of bile.
Some of these signs are a marker of liver diseases directly, and some are an indicator of the presence of serious malaise.
Diagnostics
The main factor in the difficulties in diagnosing nonspecific reactive hepatitis is that confirmation of a specific diagnosis is possible only if other types of chronic hepatitis are excluded. The definition of reactive hepatitis is carried out by a gastroenterologist. Prioritized differential diagnosis (exclusion of diseases similar in manifestations).
After establishing that hepatitis is a consequence, additional examinations and tests are prescribed:
- Radiography.
- Ultrasound of the liver and other abdominal organs.
- Measurement of liver biochemistry.
- MSCT of internal organs in the abdominal cavity.
- Tests for the presence of markers of other variations of hepatitis.
Having determined the source of the disease, a puncture sampling of liver tissue is performed (). This provides an opportunity to confirm the secondary nature of the diagnosis, and to determine the activity inflammatory processes... The only pronounced moment, characterized for each of the hepatitis, is the darkening of the skin of the liver area in neglected forms.
When diagnosing reactive hepatitis in children, there are some difficulties in that any symptoms may not be manifested. Due to the difficulties in identifying, reactive hepatitis can become chronic and it is extremely difficult to respond to a complete cure.
Treatment and prognosis
Therapeutic treatment of a specific disease, for the most part, is aimed at eliminating the provocative pathology. With a similar, conservative approach, reactive hepatitis is successfully relieved. The prognosis of the disease is favorable - all the symptoms of liver damage and its destruction fully regress (disappear).
Efficiency lies in the complete restoration of liver cells and tissues. It should be remembered that the nonspecific form can become a starting point for hepatitis of a different etiology. Variations of viral, alcoholic and drug-induced hepatitis can progress at a high rate, as a result, lead to irreversible liver damage (cirrhosis).
In addition to influencing the root cause, general treatment liver diseases. It involves taking medication and following the prescribed diet. In complex forms, characterized by a severe course of the disease, there is a need for lifelong dietary nutrition. Excluding the main purposes, it is required to eliminate serious physical activity, avoid the consumption of alcoholic beverages and products with a high percentage of toxins.
Medicines used
The medical part of the treatment includes the use of detoxification (to remove toxins and adjust metabolic processes) drugs, hepatoprotectors (artificial increase in the protective characteristics of liver cells) and vitamins. In exceptional cases, they additionally purify the blood from toxins using the intravenous administration of certain solutions.
When determining an effective course of treatment with the use of medications, the use of hepatotoxic (cause liver damage and become the initial cause of primary hepatitis) class of drugs is excluded.
As a diet, diet No. 5 according to Pevzner is usually prescribed. Its principle is based on a sparing diet and balanced food intake throughout the day. Meals are divided into 5-6 small portions. The consumed water should be about 2-2.5 liters per day. Upon closer examination of the shown diet, it excludes the following food classes:
- natural coffee and teas;
- fatty foods;
- fried and smoked dishes;
- all types of preservation;
- spices, herbs, sauces, marinades, salt;
- carbonated drinks, alcoholic drinks and drinks with artificial fillers.
All meals included in the diet should be classified as boiled, baked, or steamed.
The food consumed must be warm, hot and cold meals are excluded. All products must be seasonal and not contain any preservatives, flavor enhancers, emulsifiers, or dyes. A detailed list of allowed and prohibited products is announced by the attending physician.
Prevention
Certain preventive measures for nonspecific reactive hepatitis have not been developed. As a specific preventive measures timely detection and elimination of those diseases and pathologies that can become provocateurs of the development of the described disease are accepted. In order to prevent the development of chronic hepatitis of any type, you should:
- Reduce, and it is better to eliminate altogether, alcoholic beverages from your own diet.
- If possible, exclude contact with substances of a high class of toxicity.
- Reduce the amount of junk food and drinks consumed with an excess of dyes, preservatives and other artificial additives. Also, limit or exclude fried, spicy, smoked meats, drinks with high concentrations of taurine and caffeine.
- Do not abuse medicines.
Reactive hepatitis can be completely cured, and if it becomes chronic, treatment becomes difficult, but everything also remains possible.
Considering some of the features common to liver diseases, severe forms of chronic hepatitis involve compulsory adherence to doctor's instructions and regular medical examinations. In the case of a specific disease in children, a doctor should be consulted at the slightest concern and suspicion.