
28th July - World Hepatitis Day
World Hepatitis Day (WHD) is observed on July 28th aiming to generate awareness about hepatitis – an inflammatory condition of the liver. It causes inflammation and damage of the liver cells due to viral infection, consumption of certain medications, heavy alcohol use, toxins and some medical conditions. Viral hepatitis is classified into – hepatitis A, B and C, having different characteristics but similar symptoms. Line of treatment depend on type of hepatitis and severity of infection.
World Health Organization (WHO) has estimated that hepatitis B and C are common infections, resulting 1.1 million deaths and 3 million new infections every year. WHO has also estimated that every year 67,000 new infections and 84,000 deaths occur only in United States due to hepatitis C. WHO has called all the member countries to work together for elimination of viral hepatitis by the end of 2030.
Symptoms:
In viral hepatitis initially patient is asymptomatic or has mild symptoms. Symptoms seen 2 weeks to 6 months after infection in all types of hepatitis like yellow skin or eyes, swelling of the lower extremities, nausea and vomiting, muscle aches, joint aches, jaundice, itchy skin, fatigue, dark or yellow urine, abdominal pain, loss of appetite and weight loss.
Diagnosis:
Physical examination, liver function tests and other blood tests are part of diagnosis. Imaging tests like CAT scan, ultrasound and liver biopsy may also be suggested to arrive diagnosis.
Treatment:
Line of treatment depend on the type of liver inflammation and severity of infections. For Hepatitis A infections, there is no any specific treatment but bed rest recommended. Antiviral medications are suggested for the other two chronic forms of Hepatitis B and C. For chronic Hepatitis C patients, liver transplantation is a final choice if patient has developed liver cirrhosis.
ICD-10 codes for reporting Hepatitis:
B15 - Acute Hepatitis A
B15.0 - Hepatitis A with hepatic coma
B15.9 - Hepatitis A without hepatic coma
B16 - Acute Hepatitis B
B16.0 - Acute hepatitis B with delta-agent with hepatic coma
B16.1 - Acute hepatitis B with delta-agent without hepatic coma
B16.2 - Acute hepatitis B without delta-agent with hepatic coma
B16.9 - Acute hepatitis B without delta-agent and without hepatic coma
B17 - Other Acute Viral Hepatitis
B17.0 - Acute delta-(super) infection of hepatitis B carrier
B17.1 - Acute hepatitis C
B17.10 - Acute hepatitis C without hepatic coma
B17.11 - Acute hepatitis C with hepatic coma
B17.2 - Acute hepatitis E
B17.8 - Other specified acute viral hepatitis
B17.9 - Acute viral hepatitis, unspecified
B18 - Chronic Viral Hepatitis
B18.0 - Chronic viral hepatitis B with delta-agent
B18.1 - Chronic viral hepatitis B without delta-agent
B18.2 - Chronic viral hepatitis C
B18.8 - Other chronic viral hepatitis
B18.9 - Chronic viral hepatitis, unspecified
B19 - Unspecified viral hepatitis
B19.0 - Unspecified viral hepatitis with hepatic coma
B19.1 - Unspecified viral hepatitis B
B19.10 - Unspecified viral hepatitis B without hepatic coma
B19.11 - Unspecified viral hepatitis B with hepatic coma
B19.2 Unspecified viral hepatitis C
B19.20 - Unspecified viral hepatitis C without hepatic coma
B19.21 - Unspecified viral hepatitis C with hepatic coma
B19.9 - Unspecified viral hepatitis without hepatic coma