Hepatitis A

Hepatitis (hep-ah-ty-tis) is a disorder in which viruses produce inflammation of liver cells, resulting in their injury or destruction. The word comes from a combination of two Greek words: "Hepatos-" ("liver"), and "-itis" ("inflammation").

There are three types of Hepatitis that can occur, those are Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C (or Non A Non B Hepatitis). Of the three Hepatitis A is the most benign and leaves no long term side effects.

Liver is the largest organ in the body. It occupies the entire upper right quadrant of the abdomen and performs more than hundred vital functions. Processing of nutrients the body requires, including proteins, glucose, vitamins, and fats and manufacturing of bile, the greenish fluid stored in the gall bladder that helps digest fats are the major functions of liver. Another major contribution by liver is that it reduces the toxicity of potentially toxic substances, including alcohol, ammonia, nicotine, drugs, and harmful by-products of digestion. Old red blood cells are removed from the blood by the liver and spleen, and the iron is cycled to the bone marrow to make new ones. Damage to the liver can impair these functions and many other processes.