By Dr. Putu Arya Nugraha, SpPd, FINAMSIM
Buleleng, NTTOnlinenow.com – Hepatitis is a disease caused by a virus. Symptoms are inflammation or swelling of the liver. There are 5 kinds of hepatitis, namely hepatitis A, B, C, D and E. The difference lies only in the virus that infects it. Patients with hepatitis are often not aware of contracting this disease.
Symptoms are not typical, similar to symptoms of fever in general which are often accompanied by headache, nausea, vomiting & joint pain (Flu like Syndrome). this infection causes inflammation of liver cells which can lead to swelling of the liver, this mysterious Hepatitis disease depends on speed in bringing to a health facility and getting checked. When severe symptoms are found, it usually causes death. For anywhere liver transplantation in Indonesia has not been available for cases of acute liver failure.
In handling mysterious hepatitis, you should pay attention to the following things:
1. Be aware that the initial symptoms of acute hepatitis are usually gastrointestinal disturbances that can be followed by a low-grade fever.
Initial symptoms are gastrointestinal, such as diarrhea, abdominal pain and low-grade fever
2. Immediately check if any, so as not to panic if you find symptoms of acute hepatitis in children, immediately take the child to the nearest health facility (puskesmas or hospital facilities) to be treated appropriately.
3. Do not wait for further symptoms (it is not too late to go to a health facility if the child has early symptoms of acute hepatitis).
Do not wait until further symptoms such as skin rash appear and refer to a hospital. Do not get severe symptoms, such as yellow in the eyes or all over his body or until the patient is unconscious before being taken to the hospital.
4. Immediately take him to the ICU if his consciousness decreases, if he has experienced a decreased level of consciousness, immediately rushed to a hospital that has pediatric ICU facilities.
However, hepatitis prevention can be done easily;
Wash your hands regularly
Apparently preventing hepatitis can be done by diligently washing hands. The reason, washing hands can kill viral diseases, including hepatitis. You can use running water with soap. In addition, just use a hand sanitizer with alcohol content so that the virus will die.
Thoroughly clean food items
Always wash all food ingredients until they are clean so they don’t get hepatitis. Usually hepatitis A is the one who often attacks because of contaminated food. Also, avoid eating raw foods, especially if you are unsure of the source.
Keep it clean
Always keep your surroundings clean. The reason is, the place of residence is indeed a risk for hepatitis, especially hepatitis A and E. By always maintaining a clean environment, you will be able to avoid the hepatitis virus.
Don’t touch the toilet
Keep in mind that hepatitis can be transmitted through feces or orally. Therefore, for those of you who use public toilets, make sure to always clean the toilet seat. However, for those of you who have wounds on the buttocks, it is better to avoid contact with the toilet. The reason is, it is very risky to be infected with hepatitis. Also, don’t forget to wash your hands with soap after using public toilets.
Avoid using items together
Many of us like to share personal items. However, this is a bad habit. The reason is, the hepatitis virus can be transmitted due to the use of personal items at the same time.
There are some personal items that should not be used at the same time, such as toothbrushes, lipstick, razors, nail clippers and much more. The use of these items sometimes causes minor injuries.
So there will be blood on the tool and sometimes it is not visible. This blood is what makes the hepatitis virus contagious.
Dr. Putu Arya Nugraha, SpPd, FINAMSIM / Director of Singaraja Hospital
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