Why is hepatitis so debilitating?

Question

Mainly in reference to Hep A, B, and C. You can answer which ever one you know of, or all 3 of these!

Answer 1

All 3 attack the liver and its functioning. The destroy liver cells. The liver is the main organ that filters impurities out of the blood system. And detoxyfies many injurious chemicals. (the kidneys also function in the same manner, but do condierably less than the liver). Having too much proteins and nitrogen compounds in our blood, lymphatic fluid, and cerebrospinal fluid will eventually poison many cell types in many organ systems in the body.
And that's just proteins. The liver cleans up and sends out for excretion, a lot of other chemicals too.
Dan.

Answer 2

I have actually had hepatitis A, and I was miserable for about 30 days. You feel extremely weak and cold, feverish, you lose your appetite, your skin and eyes turn yellow. There are only certain types of food that you can eat, and mainly liquids. I basically stayed in bed for 1 month, and could not walk or do pretty much any movement. The liver becomes extremely fragile, and any strain can cause it to collapse and you can even die. It is also very contagious, so you have to be isolated from people who have not had hepatitis before.

Answer 3

Hepatitis C is now the leading cause of liver disease in the US. and the number one reason for liver transplantation. The virus enters the liver cells and uses their inner genetic machinery to make copies of itself. Those copies then infect more cells, and the cycle repeats. The infection can become chronic and slowly damages the liver. Over time this liver damage can lead to serious consequences, including cirrhosis (or scaring) of the liver, end-stage liver disease and some types of liver cancer.

Answer 4

Your liver is extremely important to your body's functioning, so when it's diseased, your body shuts down as much as it can to concentrate on healing it.