Disease or Syndrome
hepatitis
hep·a·ti·tis [ hep-uh-tahy-tis ]
Subclass of:
Liver diseases
Etymology:
Greek hepar = liver + -itis = inflammation
Also called:
Viral hepatitis
Definitions related to hepatitis:
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Disease of the liver causing inflammation. Symptoms include an enlarged liver, fever, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and dark urine.NCI Dictionary of Cancer TermsU.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
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Inflammation of the liver and liver disease involving degenerative or necrotic alterations of hepatocytes.CRISP ThesaurusNational Institutes of Health, 2006
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Inflammation of the liver.Human Phenotype Ontology (HPO)The Human Phenotype Ontology Project, 2021
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Inflammation of the liver; usually from a viral infection, but sometimes from toxic agents.NCI ThesaurusU.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
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Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver. Inflammation is swelling that happens when tissues of the body are injured or infected. It can damage your liver. This swelling and damage can affect how well your liver functions. Hepatitis can be an acute (short-term) infection or a chronic (long-term) infection. Some types of hepatitis cause only acute infections. Other types can cause both acute and chronic infections. There are different types of hepatitis, with different causes: Viral hepatitis is the most common type. It is caused by one of several viruses -- hepatitis viruses A, B, C, D, and E. In the United States, A, B, and C are the most common.; Alcoholic hepatitis is caused by heavy alcohol use; Toxic hepatitis can be caused by certain poisons, chemicals, medicines, or supplements; Autoimmune hepatitis is a chronic type in which your body's immune system attacks your liver. The cause is not known, but genetics and your environment may play a role. Hepatitis A and hepatitis E usually spread through contact with food or water that was contaminated with an infected person's stool. You can also get hepatitis E by eating undercooked pork, deer, or shellfish. Hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and hepatitis D spread through contact with the blood of someone who has the disease. Hepatitis B and D may also...MedlinePlusU.S. National Library of Medicine, 2021
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Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver. Most cases of acute hepatitis caused by a virus (acute viral hepatitis) resolve on their own, but some progress to chronic hepatitis.Merck & Co., Inc., 2020
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Hepatitis, inflammation of the liver that results from a variety of causes, both infectious and noninfectious. Infectious agents that cause hepatitis include viruses and parasites. Noninfectious causes include certain drugs and toxic agents. In some instances hepatitis results from an autoimmune...Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 2020
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