Call for an appointment today!
908.818.0129
Convenient Locations in Flemington and Somerville
Hunterdon Gastroenterology Associates | Digestive Health Specialists – Flemington, NJHunterdon Gastroenterology Associates | Digestive Health Specialists – Flemington, NJHunterdon Gastroenterology Associates | Digestive Health Specialists – Flemington, NJHunterdon Gastroenterology Associates | Digestive Health Specialists – Flemington, NJ
  • Services
    • Digestive Health
      • Upper GI
      • Lower GI
      • Hemorrhoids
      • Bowel Control/ Fecal Incontinence
      • FAQs
    • Liver Disease Program
      • Hepatitis Care
      • Liver Function Testing
      • Alcohol-related Liver Disease
      • Liver Cancer
      • FAQs
    • Colon Cancer Prevention & Detection
      • Minimize Your Risk
      • Risk factors
      • Symptoms
      • FAQs
  • Education
    • Barretts
    • Celiac Disease
    • Colon Cancer Prevention
    • Crohn’s Disease
    • Digestive Health
    • Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)
    • Hemorrhoids
    • Hepatitis C
    • Pancreatic Cancer
    • Primary Biliary Cholangitis
  • Patient Resources
    • Patient Forms
    • Insurance Information
    • Procedure Instructions
    • Preparation Instructions
    • FAQs
    • Newsletter
  • Hunterdon Endosurgery Center
    • Procedures
    • Procedure Instructions
    • Preparation Instructions
  • About Us
    • Our Doctors
    • Our Staff
    • Success Stories
    • Careers
    • Blog
    • Privacy policy
  • Contact
  • Online Bill Pay
    • Hunterdon Gastroenterology Associates
    • Hunterdon Endosurgery Center

Hepatitis – New Populations at Risk

    Home GI Diseases Hepatitis – New Populations at Risk
    NextPrevious

    Hepatitis – New Populations at Risk

    By Hunterdon Gastroenterology Associates | GI Diseases | Comments are Closed | 23 May, 2017 | 0

    You may have seen television commercials advising all baby boomers to get tested for hepatitis. If you’ve heard about hepatitis, you may have associated hepatitis with injection drug use.  However, the population of individuals with hepatitis is changing.

    What exactly is hepatitis, and how might it affect you?

    The word hepatitis literally means inflammation of the liver. There are multiple causes of hepatitis. Hepatitis is classified as either non-infectious or infectious. Non-infectious hepatitis occurs when the liver is damaged as a result of alcohol, medicines, obesity, genetic disorders or autoimmune disease. Infectious hepatitis follows infection by a virus. There are several different strains of the hepatitis virus, labeled Hepatitis A, B, C, D and E. There are two forms of hepatitis most common in the U.S., and most likely to affect the general population.

    Hepatitis C

    Hepatitis C is the most common form of infectious hepatitis. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that approximately 3.5 million Americans have hepatitis C, and up to 85% of these people are unaware they have the infection. Because individuals infected with hepatitis C often have either no symptoms or very mild symptoms, the infection goes undetected for years. Over time, the infection slowly damages liver cells. Damaged liver cells die and scar tissue develops. This scarring of liver tissue is called cirrhosis. Ultimately, if all of the liver stops functioning, even the non-scarred sections, liver failure results.

    New guidelines issued by the CDC  recommend testing for Hepatitis C, because of the damage an undetected infection causes over time.  The recently issued recommendation advises all baby boomers born between 1945 and 1965 to get tested. This group is 5x more likely to have HCV because they may have received blood transfusions prior to the introduction of screening for HIV and hepatitis, may have a history of injection drug use, may have had unprotected sex, unsterile piercing or tattoos, or exposure to infected blood through needle sticks or direct contact. Even if you think you haven’t been exposed to hepatitis, it is suggested that you have the simple blood test to confirm you are virus free.

    Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatic Hepatitis (NASH)

    Another form of hepatitis that is growing in incidence is called nonalcoholic steatohepatic hepatitis (NASH). This form of hepatitis is noninfectious and develops as a result of fatty liver disease. Risk factors for fatty liver disease include obesity, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. Non-alcoholic fatty liver is diagnosed when more than 10% of the liver is fat.  Over time, the excess fat causes the liver to swell and become inflamed, and NASH is diagnosed. As with infectious hepatitis, inflammation ultimately leads to scarring (cirrhosis) and liver damage.  There are typically no symptoms from fatty liver until inflammation occurs. At that point, individuals may experience poor appetite, weight loss or abdominal pain.

    Fatty liver can be diagnosed with a physical exam, blood test evaluating liver enzymes, and ultrasound. There are currently no drug treatments for fatty liver or NASH. However, because the liver can repair itself,  the damage is reversible with lifestyle changes. Patients with fatty liver are advised to lose weight, monitor cholesterol, manage blood sugar, exercise, and limit alcohol. Fatty liver can also be prevented with these same lifestyle choices.

    Our physicians are board certified in hepatology (the study of the liver) as well as gastroenterology. If you have been diagnosed with hepatitis, or have questions about the disease, we are here to assist you.

    hepatitis, hepatitis c, liver, NASH

    Related Post

    • what is hepatitis

      What is Hepatitis?

      By Hunterdon Gastroenterology Associates | Comments are Closed

      What is Hepatitis? A common question here at Hunterdon Gastroenterology asked by patients is, “what exactly is Hepatitis?”  Simply stated, it is an inflammation of the liver. The condition can improve without treatment, or itRead more

    • Hepatitis C

      What is Hepatitis C – and am I at risk? You might be.

      By Hunterdon Gastroenterology Associates | Comments are Closed

      What is Hepatitis C? Hepatitis C is a disease caused by a virus that infects the liver. In time, it can lead to cirrhosis, liver cancer, and liver failure.  Hepatitis C is the most common form of infectious hepatitis. TheRead more

    NextPrevious

    Why More Doctors Refer To Us

    • All physicians trained in American universities and Board-certified in Gastroenterology and Hepatology
    • Specially-trained liver specialist
    • The only endoscopic ultrasound physician in the area
    • Highly trained registered nurses (RN) and medical technicians
    • Convenient weekend and evening hours
    • AAAHC-accredited ambulatory care center
    • Leading-edge technology only available here
    • On-site phlebotomy (blood drawing), and pathology laboratory

    Flemington Office

    1100 Wescott Drive
    Suite 206 / 207
    Flemington, NJ 08822
    Phone: 908.483.4000
    Fax: 908.788.5090

    Directions

    Somerville Office

    135 West End Avenue
    Somerville, NJ 08876
    Phone: 908.483.4000
    Fax: 908.788.5090

    Directions

    FAQs

    • General FAQs
    • Colorectal Cancer FAQs
    • Digestive Health FAQs
    • Liver Disease FAQs

    Accreditation

    © 2016 Hunterdon Gastroenterology AssociatesFreshySites
    • Services
      • Digestive Health
        • Upper GI
        • Lower GI
        • Hemorrhoids
        • Bowel Control/ Fecal Incontinence
        • FAQs
      • Liver Disease Program
        • Hepatitis Care
        • Liver Function Testing
        • Alcohol-related Liver Disease
        • Liver Cancer
        • FAQs
      • Colon Cancer Prevention & Detection
        • Minimize Your Risk
        • Risk factors
        • Symptoms
        • FAQs
    • Education
      • Barretts
      • Celiac Disease
      • Colon Cancer Prevention
      • Crohn’s Disease
      • Digestive Health
      • Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)
      • Hemorrhoids
      • Hepatitis C
      • Pancreatic Cancer
      • Primary Biliary Cholangitis
    • Patient Resources
      • Patient Forms
      • Insurance Information
      • Procedure Instructions
      • Preparation Instructions
      • FAQs
      • Newsletter
    • Hunterdon Endosurgery Center
      • Procedures
      • Procedure Instructions
      • Preparation Instructions
    • About Us
      • Our Doctors
      • Our Staff
      • Success Stories
      • Careers
      • Blog
      • Privacy policy
    • Contact
    • Online Bill Pay
      • Hunterdon Gastroenterology Associates
      • Hunterdon Endosurgery Center
    Hunterdon Gastroenterology Associates | Digestive Health Specialists – Flemington, NJ