31 July 2026 | santosh hospitals

Overview of Hepatitis — Types and How They Spread

Hepatitis means inflammation of the liver. While it can be caused by alcohol, medications, and autoimmune conditions, the viral forms are the most prevalent globally.

•  Hepatitis A — spread through contaminated food and water. Usually self-limiting. Vaccine available. More common in areas with poor sanitation

•  Hepatitis B — spread through blood, sexual contact, and from mother to child at birth. Can become chronic. Highly effective vaccine available. A major cause of cirrhosis and liver cancer

•   Hepatitis C — spread primarily through blood-to-blood contact, including shared needles and unsterilised medical equipment. No vaccine currently. Now curable in most patients with a short course of direct-acting antiviral therapy

•   Hepatitis D — only occurs in people already infected with hepatitis B. Worsens the course of hepatitis B significantly

•   Hepatitis E — spread through contaminated water. Usually self-limiting in immunocompetent patients. Dangerous in pregnancy

Hepatitis Symptoms — Why Most Cases Are Missed

The hepatitis symptoms that most people associate with liver disease, jaundice, dark urine, and abdominal pain are signs of significant and often advanced liver damage. In the early and middle stages of chronic hepatitis B or C, there may be no symptoms at all.

●       Persistent unexplained fatigue the most common early symptom, easy to attribute to stress or overwork

●      Mild nausea and loss of appetite often dismissed as digestive issues

●      Discomfort or dull aching in the upper right abdomen over the liver

●      Joint pain, an extra-hepatic manifestation of chronic viral hepatitis, is frequently missed

●       Jaundice yellowing of the skin and sclera, indicates active liver cell damage and requires urgent evaluation

●      Dark amber urine and pale or clay-coloured stools reflect impaired bile processing

●      Abdominal swelling from ascites, easy bruising, and confusion are signs of cirrhosis or acute liver failure requiring emergency care

Who Should Get Tested

•  Anyone who received a blood transfusion before 2000 when pre-testing was not routine

•  Any history of intravenous drug use

•  Unsterilised tattoo, piercing, or medical or dental procedure

•  A partner with known hepatitis B or C

•  Born to a mother with hepatitis B

•  Unexplained elevated liver enzymes on routine blood testing

•  All pregnant women should be tested for hepatitis B

•  Hepatitis B vaccination complete the three-dose schedule if not already vaccinated

•  Hepatitis A vaccination for all children and high-risk adults

Liver Disease Progression — What Happens Without Treatment

Left untreated, chronic viral hepatitis follows a progression that takes years to decades but is largely preventable with treatment.

•  Hepatic inflammation — the virus triggers immune-mediated damage to liver cells

•  Fibrosis — repeated cycles of damage and repair produce scar tissue that progressively replaces functional liver tissue

•   Cirrhosis — advanced scarring with loss of liver architecture, impaired synthetic function, and development of portal hypertension

•  Hepatocellular carcinoma — liver cancer, which develops in a significant proportion of patients with hepatitis - B and C-related cirrhosis

•   Hepatitis - B and C-related cirrhosis and liver cancer are largely preventable with early antiviral treatment — this is the single most important message of World Hepatitis Day 2026

Hepatitis is preventable, testable, and, in the case of hepatitis C, curable. It remains one of the most significant global health problems primarily because millions of people do not know they have it, and millions more who know have not yet accessed treatment.

Get tested. Know your status. If treatment is needed, a liver specialist in Delhi NCR at Santosh Hospitals can initiate effective hepatitis treatment that protects your liver for the long term.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. Can someone have hepatitis B or C for years without knowing it?
 Yes, this is actually the norm rather than the exception. Chronic hepatitis B and C can stay silent for years or decades while quietly causing liver damage, which is why testing matters more than waiting for symptoms.

Q2. Is hepatitis C really curable, or just manageable like hepatitis B?
 Hepatitis C is genuinely curable in most patients with a short course of antiviral therapy, achieving cure rates above 95%. Hepatitis B, by contrast, is typically managed long-term with antivirals that suppress the virus rather than eliminate it.

Q3. Can someone get hepatitis B despite being vaccinated as a child?
 Vaccination is highly effective, but protection can wane in rare cases, or the full three-dose schedule may not have been completed. A blood test can confirm immunity status if there's any doubt.

Q4. Does clearing hepatitis A or E mean the liver is completely fine afterward?
 In most immunocompetent people, yes — these forms are usually self-limiting and the liver recovers fully. Hepatitis E is the exception worth flagging in pregnancy, where it carries meaningfully higher risk.

Q5. If liver enzymes come back normal, does that rule out hepatitis?
 Not entirely. Liver enzymes can fluctuate and even appear normal at times during chronic hepatitis B or C, which is why specific viral testing, not just liver enzymes, is used to confirm or rule out infection.