Difference Between Acute & Chronic Hepatitis

Hepatitis is a condition when the liver becomes injured or damaged, usually by one of the many hepatitis viruses. While there are a few other reasons hepatitis can occur, the type of damage falls into two categories--acute (sudden) damage or chronic (long-lasting or recurring) damage.

What Causes Acute Hepatitis?

• Acute hepatitis occurs suddenly, and mostly because of a virus caused generally by one of the viral strains of hepatitis A through E. Other causes of acute hepatitis include the Cytomegalovirus, Herpes Symplex, Epstein-Barr, yellow fever virus or some type of adenoviruses.

  Although the hepatitis virus is 95 percent responsible, there are nonviral infections that can lead to acute hepatitis such as: toxoplasma, Leptospira, Q fever or rocky mountain spotted fever.

How Do You Get Acute Hepatitis?

• According to the Merck Manual Professional, you can get acute hepatitis through unprotected sex with a partner that has the Herpes Symplex virus, through drugs (medications and illegal drugs), alcohol damage to the liver or possibly from toxins found in certain mushrooms and toxic chemicals like white phosphorous or carbon tetrachloride.

Symptoms of Acute and Chronic Hepatitis

• Acute hepatitis can develop into chronic hepatitis fairly easy, especially if left untreated. While acute hepatitis can be cured, chronic hepatitis is a long-term disease. Both versions can cause severe liver damage and failure.

  Symptoms of hepatitis, according to the National Institute of Health, generally begin like those of the flu or other viruses, and include: fatigue, abdominal distention and/or pain, loss of appetite, nausea, weight loss and fever.

  If you have these symptoms and also notice dark colored urine and pale or clay-colored stools, jaundice in the skin or eyes, general itching, tenderness in the area of the liver and breast development in males, then these are signs that the virus is not an ordinary seasonal bug and you should contact your doctor immediately.

What Causes Chronic Hepatitis?

• Chronic hepatitis is caused by the hepatitis B (it can be combined with or without hepatitis D) and C strains, or by drugs. Although it can happen as reoccurring bouts of acute, there are many times chronic hepatitis has no symptoms until the liver is severely scarred. It is much less common than acute hepatitis, but at its worst can cause a deterioration of brain function, cirrhosis of the liver, an enlarged spleen, accumulated fluids in the abdominal cavity and liver failure.

  There are other, more rare forms of chronic hepatitis such as autoimmune hepatitis, where abnormalities in the liver trigger the condition.

Treatment for Acute and Chronic Hepatitis

• There are vaccinations available to prevent acute hepatitis strands A, B and E. Otherwise, since acute hepatitis can happen from so many other viruses that are not hepatitis, the treatment options are basically support-based--controlling what caused the acute condition in the first place.

  Unlike acute hepatitis, chronic hepatitis does not have any kind of vaccine, but it can be controlled by anti-viral drugs or corticosteroids if the liver is not entirely damaged. If the liver damage is too extensive, a transplant might be necessary.