The ABCs of Hepatitis
Read about the different forms of these viral infections.
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What Do You Know? - May is National Hepatitis Awareness Month. Do you know the different forms of this serious viral infection, how it’s transmitted and what to do to protect yourself? — Kellee Terrell (Photo: Image Source / Getty Images)
Photo By Photo: Image Source / Getty Images
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The 411 on Hep - In general, hepatitis is the inflammation of the liver — the organ that detoxifies your body and helps with digestion. In the U.S., the most common forms of viral hepatitis are Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C. Hepatitis can clear itself in a few months or leave long-lasting liver damage, require a liver transplant and even cause death. (Photo: Purestock/Getty Images)
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Hep A - Hepatitis A is a contagious viral infection spread when a person “ingests fecal matter — even in microscopic amounts — from contact with objects, food or drinks contaminated by the feces, or stool, of an infected person,” writes the CDC. Symptoms from Hep A usually last between two to six months. (Photo: Emmanuel Faure/Getty Images)
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Hep B - Hep B is mostly spread through blood, semen and childbirth. It can also spread by sharing razors, toothbrushes and needles with someone infected. Hep B can be “acute” — where it clears up quickly — or “chronic,” where it can have long lasting liver damage. Hep B isn’t spread through kissing, hugging, breastfeeding, sneezing or coughing. (Photo: Getty Images)
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Hep C - Hep C is mostly spread through blood contact (shared needles) and rarely spread through semen and sharing people’s razors and toothbrushes. Hep C can be mild or cause serious liver problems, including scarring of the liver or liver cancer. It can also cause death: Hep C causes more deaths than HIV/AIDS each year. (Photo: Mike Kemp/Getty Images)
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