Hepatitis
Inflammation of the liver, from viruses, alcohol, medications, fat build-up or the immune system. It ranges from a brief, self-limiting illness to a long-term condition that can slowly damage the liver, and it is often silent — picked up on liver blood tests.
What it is
Hepatitis means inflammation of the liver. It has many causes: viral infections (hepatitis A, B, C, D and E), alcohol, a build-up of fat in the liver (fatty liver disease), certain medications and toxins, and the immune system attacking the liver (autoimmune hepatitis). The effects range widely. Acute hepatitis (such as hepatitis A, or a drug reaction) is a short-lived illness that often settles on its own. Chronic hepatitis — most importantly from hepatitis B or C viruses, alcohol, or fatty liver — can persist silently for years and slowly scar the liver, eventually risking cirrhosis and liver cancer. Because the liver often gives no symptoms until damage is advanced, hepatitis is frequently discovered when routine liver blood tests (ALT, AST) come back raised. Crucially, hepatitis B and C are now very treatable — hepatitis C can usually be cured with tablets, and hepatitis B controlled — which is why identifying them matters so much.
Key lab markers
- ALT and AST — liver enzymes that rise when liver cells are inflamed or damaged; the core screen.
- Bilirubin — can rise, causing jaundice.
- GGT and alkaline phosphatase — reflect bile-related and alcohol-related liver stress.
- Viral tests (hepatitis A, B, C serology and viral load) — identify a viral cause; essential because B and C are treatable.
- Autoimmune tests, iron studies, and a liver ultrasound — for other causes.
- Albumin and INR — reflect how well the liver is still working, in more advanced disease.
Symptoms
- Often none, especially in chronic hepatitis — found on blood tests
- Tiredness and feeling generally unwell
- Jaundice (yellow skin and eyes), dark urine, pale stools
- Pain or discomfort in the upper-right abdomen
- Nausea, poor appetite, sometimes vomiting
- Itching
- In acute viral hepatitis: a flu-like illness before jaundice
- In advanced liver disease: swelling of the abdomen or legs, confusion, easy bruising
Related symptoms
Related lab panels
When to discuss with a doctor
Raised liver enzymes on a blood test, or symptoms such as jaundice, persistent tiredness, or upper-right abdominal discomfort, warrant seeing a doctor to find the cause — importantly including tests for hepatitis B and C, because these are treatable and can otherwise silently damage the liver over years. Risk factors (past blood transfusions, injecting drug use, tattoos in unregulated settings, or coming from a region where hepatitis B is common) are reasons to be tested even without symptoms. Reducing alcohol and reviewing medications are part of protecting the liver. Seek urgent care for jaundice with confusion, drowsiness, vomiting blood or a swollen abdomen, which suggest severe liver dysfunction. Mediora.AI flags the raised-liver-enzyme pattern and prompts the cause work-up; the diagnosis and treatment belong with your doctor.