hepatitis

/ˈhɛpəˌtaɪdɪs/

/hɛpəˈtaɪtɪs/

Hepatitis is a medical condition that causes inflammation in the liver. Most types of hepatitis are caused by a virus.

An inflamed liver from hepatitis can produce very mild symptoms or much more serious ones. Five main variants of one virus cause most cases of hepatitis, although there are additional causes, including other infections, medications, heavy alcohol intake, and toxins. The condition's symptoms include hints that the liver isn't working right, like yellowing of the eyes. Hepatitis is from the Greek hepar, "liver," and -itis, "inflammation."

Definitions of hepatitis

1. noun

   inflammation of the liver caused by a virus or a toxin
   types:

   viral hepatitis

   hepatitis caused by a virus

   delta hepatitis, hepatitis delta

   a severe form of hepatitis

   hepatitis A, infectious hepatitis

   an acute but benign form of viral hepatitis caused by an RNA virus that does not persist in the blood serum and is usually transmitted by ingesting food or drink that is contaminated with fecal matter

   hepatitis B, serum hepatitis

   an acute (sometimes fatal) form of viral hepatitis caused by a DNA virus that tends to persist in the blood serum and is transmitted by sexual contact or by transfusion or by ingestion of contaminated blood or other bodily fluids

   hepatitis C

   a viral hepatitis clinically indistinguishable from hepatitis B but caused by a single-stranded RNA virus; usually transmitted by parenteral means (as injection of an illicit drug or blood transfusion or exposure to blood or blood products)

   type of:

   liver disease

   a disease affecting the liver

   infectious disease

   a disease transmitted only by a specific kind of contact