Symptoms of Hepatitis
Symptoms of Hepatitis
The list of signs and symptoms mentioned in various sources
for Hepatitis includes the 35
symptoms listed below:
Research symptoms & diagnosis of Hepatitis:
Hepatitis: Complications
Review medical complications possibly associated with Hepatitis:
Hepatitis Symptoms: Book Excerpts
Research More About Hepatitis
Do I have Hepatitis?
Home Diagnostic Testing
Home medical tests related to Hepatitis:
Wrongly Diagnosed with Hepatitis?
The list of other diseases or medical conditions
that may be on the differential diagnosis list of alternative diagnoses
for Hepatitis includes:
See the full list of 10
alternative diagnoses for Hepatitis
Hepatitis: Research Doctors & Specialists
Research all specialists including ratings, affiliations, and sanctions.
More about symptoms of Hepatitis:
More information about symptoms of Hepatitis and related conditions:
Other Possible Causes of these Symptoms
Click on any of the symptoms below to see a full list
of other causes including diseases, medical conditions, toxins, drug interactions,
or drug side effect causes of that symptom.
Medical Books Online about Hepatitis
Medical Books Excerpts
Excerpts of published medical book chapters related to Hepatitis
are available from published medical books
for more detailed information about Hepatitis.
Medical Books Excerpts
- JAUNDICE
- "Algorithmic Diagnosis of Symptoms and Signs" (2003)
- [ read ]
- JAUNDICE
- "Differential Diagnosis in Primary Care" (2007)
- [ read ]
- Jaundice
- "Handbook of Signs & Symptoms (Third Edition)" (2006)
- [ read ]
- Jaundice
- "A Pocket Manual of Differential Diagnosis" (1999)
- [ read ]
- Hepatomegaly
- "Professional Guide to Signs & Symptoms (Fifth Edition)" (2006)
- [ read ]
- Hepatomegaly
- "The 10-Minute Diagnosis Manual: Symptoms and Signs in the Time-Limited Encounter" (2000)
- [ read ]
- Jaundice
- "The 10-Minute Diagnosis Manual: Symptoms and Signs in the Time-Limited Encounter" (2000)
- [ read ]
- Hepatitis
- "The 10-Minute Diagnosis Manual: Symptoms and Signs in the Time-Limited Encounter" (2000)
- [ read ]
- Jaundice
- "Signs & Symptoms: A 2-in-1 Reference for Nurses" (2007)
- [ read ]
- Hepatomegaly
- "The Diagnostic Approach to Symptoms and Signs in Pediatrics" (2006)
- [ read ]
- Jaundice
- "The Diagnostic Approach to Symptoms and Signs in Pediatrics" (2006)
- [ read ]
- JAUNDICE
- "Differential Diagnosis in Primary Care" (2007)
- [ read ]
Copyright notice for book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.
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Patient Surveys for Hepatitis
Symptoms of Hepatitis: Online Medical Books
16 MEDICAL BOOKS ONLINE!
Review excerpts from medical books online, free, without registration,
for more information about the symptoms of Hepatitis.
Nonviral hepatitis:
Signs and symptoms
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))
Clinical features of toxic and drug-induced hepatitis vary with the severity of the liver damage and the causative agent. In most patients, signs and symptoms resemble those of viral hepatitis: anorexia, nausea, vomiting, jaundice, dark urine, hepatomegaly, possible abdominal pain (with acute onset and massive necrosis), and clay-colored stools or pruritus with the cholestatic form of hepatitis. Carbon tetrachloride poisoning also produces headache, dizziness, drowsiness, and vasomotor collapse; halothane-related hepatitis produces fever, moderate leukocytosis, and eosinophilia; chlorpromazine toxicity produces abrupt fever, rash, arthralgia, lymphadenopathy, and epigastric or right upper quadrant pain.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
Viral hepatitis:
Signs and symptoms
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))
Assessment findings are similar for the different types of hepatitis. Typically, signs and symptoms progress in several stages.
In the prodromal (preicteric) stage, the patient typically complains of easy fatigue and anorexia (possibly with mild weight loss), generalized malaise, depression, headache, weakness, arthralgia, myalgia, photophobia, and nausea with vomiting. He also may describe changes in his senses of taste and smell.
Assessment of the patient’s vital signs may reveal a fever of 100° to 102° F (37.8° to 38.9° C). As the prodromal stage ends, usually 1 to 5 days before the onset of the clinical jaundice stage, inspection of urine and stool specimens may reveal dark-colored urine and clay-colored stools.
If the patient has progressed to the clinical jaundice stage, he may report pruritus, abdominal pain or tenderness, and indigestion. Early in this stage, he may complain of anorexia; later, his appetite may return. Inspection of the sclerae, mucous membranes, and skin may reveal jaundice, which can last for 1 to 2 weeks. Jaundice indicates that the damaged liver is unable to remove bilirubin from the blood; however, its presence doesn’t indicate the severity of the disease. Occasionally, hepatitis occurs without jaundice.
During the clinical jaundice stage, inspection of the skin may detect rashes, erythematous patches, or urticaria, especially if the patient has hepatitis B or C. Palpation may disclose abdominal tenderness in the right upper quadrant, an enlarged and tender liver and, in some cases, splenomegaly and cervical adenopathy.
During the recovery (posticteric) stage, most of the patient’s symptoms decrease or subside. On palpation, a decrease in liver enlargement may be noted. The recovery phase commonly lasts from 2 to 12 weeks, although sometimes this phase lasts longer in the patient with hepatitis B, C, or E.Little is known about hepatitis G.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
Hepatic encephalopathy:
Signs and symptoms
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))
Clinical manifestations of hepatic encephalopathy vary (depending on the severity of neurologic involvement) and develop in four stages:
❑ In the prodromal stage, early signs and symptoms are commonly overlooked because they’re so subtle: slight personality changes (disorientation, forgetfulness, and slurred speech) and a slight tremor.
❑ During the impending stage, tremor progresses into asterixis (liver flap and flapping tremor), the hallmark of hepatic encephalopathy. Asterixis is characterized by quick, irregular extensions and flexions of the wrists and fingers, when the wrists are held out straight and the hands flexed upward. Lethargy, aberrant behavior, and apraxia also occur.
❑ At the stuporous stage, hyperventilation occurs; the patient is typically stuporous, but becomes noisy and abusive when aroused.
❑ In the comatose stage, the patient has hyperactive reflexes, a positive Babinski’s sign, fetor hepaticus (musty, sweet odor to the breath), and coma.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
Hepatitis, nonviral:
Signs and symptoms
(Handbook of Diseases)
Clinical features of toxic and drug-induced hepatitis vary with the severity of the liver damage and the causative agent. In most patients, symptoms resemble those of viral hepatitis: anorexia, nausea, vomiting, jaundice, dark urine, hepatomegaly, possibly abdominal pain (with acute onset and massive necrosis), clay-colored stools, and pruritus with the cholestatic form of hepatitis.
Clinical tip Carbon tetrachloride poisoning also produces headache, dizziness, drowsiness, and vasomotor collapse; halothane-related hepatitis produces fever, moderate leukocytosis, and eosinophilia; chlorpromazine produces a rash, abrupt fever, arthralgias, lymphadenopathy, and epigastric or right upper quadrant pain.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Handbook of Diseases, 2003
Hepatitis, viral:
Signs and symptoms
(Handbook of Diseases)
Assessment findings are similar for the different types of hepatitis. Typically, signs and symptoms progress in three stages — prodromal (preicteric), clinical (icteric), and recovery (posticteric).
Prodromal stage
In the prodromal stage, the patient typically complains of easy fatigue, anorexia (possibly with mild weight loss), generalized malaise, depression, headache, weakness, arthralgia, myalgia, photophobia, and nausea with vomiting. He also may describe changes in his senses of taste and smell.
Assessment of vital signs may reveal a temperature of 100° to 102° F (37.8° to 38.9° C). As the prodromal stage draws to a close, usually 1 to 5 days before the onset of the clinical jaundice stage, inspection of urine and stool specimens may reveal dark-colored urine and clay-colored stools.
Clinical jaundice stage
If the patient has progressed to the clinical jaundice stage, he may report pruritus, abdominal pain or tenderness, and indigestion. Early in this stage, he may complain of anorexia; later, his appetite may return. Inspection of the sclerae, mucous membranes, and skin may reveal jaundice, which can last for 1 to 2 weeks.
Jaundice indicates that the damaged liver can’t remove bilirubin from the blood, but it doesn’t indicate the severity of the disease. Occasionally, hepatitis occurs without jaundice.
During the clinical jaundice stage, inspection of the skin may detect rashes, erythematous patches, and urticaria, especially if the patient has hepatitis B or C. Palpation may disclose abdominal tenderness in the right upper quadrant, an enlarged and tender liver and, in some cases, splenomegaly and cervical adenopathy.
Recovery stage
During the recovery stage, most of the patient’s symptoms decrease or subside. On palpation, a decrease in liver enlargement may be noted. The recovery stage commonly lasts from 2 to 12 weeks, although sometimes this stage lasts longer in patients with hepatitis B, C, or E.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Handbook of Diseases, 2003
Hepatic encephalopathy:
Signs and symptoms
(Handbook of Diseases)
Clinical manifestations of hepatic encephalopathy vary, depending on the severity of neurologic involvement, and develop in four stages. Encephalopathy is usually graded by behavioral changes, the presence of asterixis, and EEG findings, with behavioral changes being the most apparent indicator.
❑ Grade or stage I (prodromal stage): mood fluctuation, sleep-wake reversal, forgetfulness; commonly overlooked because early symptoms, such as slight personality changes (disorientation, slurred speech) and a slight tremor, are subtle.
❑ Grade or stage II (impending stage): disorientation, confusion; may be incontinent; tremor progressing to asterixis, the hallmark of hepatic encephalopathy. Asterixis is characterized by quick, irregular extensions and flexions of the wrists and fingers when the wrists are held out straight and the hands flexed upward. Lethargy, aberrant behavior, and apraxia also occur.
❑ Grade or stage III (stuporous stage): hyperventilation; patient is stuporous but noisy and abusive when aroused.
❑ Grade or stage IV (comatose stage): hyperactive reflexes, a positive Babinski’s sign, fetor hepaticus (musty, sweet breath odor), and coma.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Handbook of Diseases, 2003
Article Excerpts About Symptoms of Hepatitis:
Many people infected with viral hepatitis have no symptoms. For
example, about one-third of people infected with HBV have a completely
"silent" disease. When symptoms are present, they may be mild or severe.
The most common early symptoms are mild fever, headache, muscle aches,
fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea. Later symptoms
may include dark and foamy urine and pale feces; abdominal pain; and
yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes (jaundice). (Source: excerpt from Hepatitis: NWHIC)
Hepatitis as a symptom:
For a more detailed analysis of Hepatitis as a symptom, including causes, drug side effect causes, and drug interaction causes, please see our Symptom Center information for Hepatitis.
Medical articles and books on symptoms:
These general reference articles may be of interest
in relation to medical signs and symptoms of disease in general:
Full list of premium articles on symptoms and diagnosis
About signs and symptoms of Hepatitis:
The symptom information on this page
attempts to provide a list of some possible signs and symptoms of Hepatitis.
This signs and symptoms information for Hepatitis has been gathered from various sources,
may not be fully accurate,
and may not be the full list of Hepatitis signs or Hepatitis symptoms.
Furthermore, signs and symptoms of Hepatitis may vary on an individual basis for each patient.
Only your doctor can provide adequate diagnosis of any signs or symptoms and whether they
are indeed Hepatitis symptoms.
Hepatitis B is a viral infection of the liver often spread through sexual contact. But people are usually unaware they carry the virus. Find out if...
Hepatitis C is called a silent epidemic because many people are unaware they carry this virus of the liver. But experts say hepatitis C is a public...
Many people with viral hepatitis don't know they are infected. Listen as experts discuss who should be tested and review the causes, prevention...
It's inevitable that at some point in your child's life he or she will suffer vomiting and diarrhea. Most often they are nothing to get...
See full list of 6 related videos
» Next page: Diagnostic Tests for Hepatitis
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