World Hepatitis Day is celebrated every year on 28 July, so that people can be made aware of this dangerous disease and taught ways to avoid it.

Hepatitis is a disease in which the liver becomes swollen and sometimes it can prove to be fatal. This swelling is usually caused by a virus, but alcohol, poor eating habits, some medicines or dirt can also be the reason behind it. In such a situation, World Hepatitis Day is celebrated every year on 28 July, so that people can be made aware about this dangerous disease and ways to avoid it can be taught.

This day is celebrated in the memory of Nobel laureate scientist Dr. Baruch Blumberg, who discovered the hepatitis B virus and also made its vaccine. People are often very confused about this disease and also ask many types of questions. In such a situation, let us tell you today whether hepatitis can cause death and how dangerous this disease is. 

What is hepatitis and how dangerous is it?

Hepatitis means inflammation in the liver. This inflammation is caused by a virus and if not treated on time, it can cause serious diseases like liver failure, liver cancer. There are 5 main types of hepatitis which include A, B, C, D and E. But out of these, hepatitis B and C are considered the most dangerous because they stay in the body for a long time and can slowly damage the liver. Hepatitis can happen to anyone, but it spreads rapidly due to some reasons, such as dirty and unhygienic food, use of infected blood or needles, from an infected mother to a child or dirt. 

The symptoms of hepatitis can be very normal in the beginning, but when it becomes serious, the symptoms appear like this, such as fatigue and weakness, lack of appetite, stomach pain or swelling, vomiting or diarrhea, dark colored urine, jaundice and fever. Sometimes this disease can occur without any symptoms and slowly keeps damaging the liver. Therefore, it is important to get a checkup done from time to time. 

How can hepatitis cause death?

If hepatitis remains in the body for a long time and is not treated, it can completely damage the liver, cause liver cirrhosis or liver cancer, which can also lead to death of the person. According to experts, chronic cases of long-lasting hepatitis C and B have the highest risk of death. 

According to WHO, every year 13 lakh people die from hepatitis. At the same time, 25 crore people in the world suffer from hepatitis B and 5 crore people from hepatitis C. In India alone, about 4 crore people are affected by hepatitis B and 1 crore people are affected by hepatitis C.