Botkin's Disease: How not to become a victim of hepatitis

Botkin's disease, and in other ways - epidemic hepatitis, was known to physicians for a long time. As a rule, therapists engaged in it, because they saw this approach to the treatment of the disease. In 1888, Sergei Petrovich Botkin put forward one suggestion, and soon proved it that catarrhal jaundice (then that was the name of the disease) has an infectious spread and acts destructively not only on the liver, but also on the entire body as a whole. Already in the Soviet era, scientists have identified a hepatitis virus and confirmed the theory of Botkin.

Botkin's disease in the human body can be provoked by two types of viruses - type A and type B. The source of the disease is a person who either has a disease or the virus in his body is still in the incubation stage. The environment in which the pathogen is located - blood, liver, gastric juice. However, you can get infected and fecal-oral route, when the hepatitis virus is released into the environment by a sick person and already poses a threat to others. In this regard, special attention should be paid to personal hygiene and food hygiene - it is important to wash your hands after being in public places, and vegetables and fruits - before consumption, and adhere to the rules of cooking (observe the temperature regime, etc.). Hepatitis can be infected with blood transfusions, injections, medical and cosmetic manipulations.

Botkin's disease primarily affects the liver, and already the liver affects the entire body. The metabolism is broken, the composition of blood changes. Before the manifestation of symptoms, the pathogen can persist in the human body from two weeks to a month. In this case the carrier, without knowing it himself, can infect others.

Botkin's disease, the symptoms of which manifest themselves quite clearly, do not cause difficulties in diagnosis. Usually, in the first phase of the patients, fever, they have a broken stool due to the nature of dyspepsia. Significantly worsening the state of the body - patients note fatigue, pain in the right upper quadrant in the liver, lack of appetite, nausea. The temperature can rise above subfebrile.

The very midst of the disease is very revealing. Skin covers of patients Botkin acquire a yellow tint, especially noticeable on the eye proteins, a little later turns yellow face, body, limbs. The peak of the disease is from the fourth to the seventh day. During this period, the patients are particularly tired, do not want to move. They experience a headache, an itch on the skin, any help from others around them irritates. Lowering blood pressure, rarely becomes a pulse. The liver increases in size, it is easy to identify when palpating. The spleen can change in size (upwards). Clinical tests of blood and urine show an increased content of bilirubin, while feces, on the contrary, are lowered.

Botkin's disease is long enough - in some cases, the symptomatology lasts for two to three months. In severe form of hepatitis disease, necrotic phenomena can occur in the liver, which, if not given proper care, can lead to death. Rare cases when the illness lasts like a flash two or three days, almost without affecting the patient's condition. Then they talk about the mild form of the disease course.

You can confirm the improvement when the color of the skin is normalized, the size of the liver decreases and the dysfunctional intestinal disorders disappear. Some time in order to avoid relapses the patient is patronized by a medical institution, doing tests for hepatitis.

To treat the disease should be strictly in the hospital of the medical institution. Usually patients there spend four weeks. The main thing to remember is that Botkin's disease is curable, but such a long way to recovery is justified, because hepatitis can cause contamination of others and lead to an epidemic.