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What is hepatitis?
Hepatitis is an inflammation of your liver. It’s often caused by infection with a virus, which can sometimes be sexually transmitted. Here I’ll discuss how to recognise signs and symptoms of hepatitis, and what to do if you think you might have it.
What are the symptoms of hepatitis?
There are many different types of hepatitis, including hepatitis A, B and C. The symptoms are similar no matter which type of hepatitis you have. Hepatitis tends to develop in phases. To being with your symptoms may be quite general, and include:
- generally feeling unwell and lacking energy
- losing your appetite
- sickness and vomiting
- a fever
- abdominal pain on your right side, just below your ribs
- aching joints
- a raised, itchy rash
After several days, you may develop symptoms of jaundice. These can last for a few weeks and can include:
- yellowing skin and eyes
- darker pee and lighter-coloured poo
How serious is hepatitis?
Hepatitis A doesn’t usually cause any long-term problems, but it can still take several months to fully recover. But hepatitis B and C can be more serious, and the illnesses can become chronic (last a long time).
They can also cause permanent damage to your liver. This is why it’s important to seek help if you have symptoms of hepatitis, or if you’ve been exposed to the virus.
What causes hepatitis?
The main cause of hepatitis is infection with a virus. The three types of hepatitis that are most common in the UK are hepatitis A, B and C. There are several ways you might get these viruses, but they can all be passed on through sexual contact.
Hepatitis A is spread in the poo of infected people. You might get it if you drink contaminated water or eat food prepared by someone who has the infection. You can also get it through close contact with an infected person. You’re at particular risk if you have sex that involves touching the person’s anus with your fingers, mouth or tongue (rimming).
Hepatitis B and C are spread via blood. You might get it through sexual contact, especially if you take part in sexual practices that could lead to tears and contact with blood. This can include anal intercourse and fisting (inserting a hand into a partner’s vagina or anus). You can also get it through exposure to infected blood or sharing needles when injecting drugs. You’re at greater risk if you have multiple sexual partners, you have unprotected sex, or you’re a man who has sex with men.
How do you get tested for hepatitis?
You should see a GP or sexual health service or doctor as soon as possible if you think you have symptoms of hepatitis. You should also seek advice if you think you’ve been exposed to a hepatitis virus, even if you don’t have symptoms. A doctor or nurse will tell you whether they recommend having a test.
Hepatitis is usually tested for with a blood test. Your GP or sexual health service will organise this for you.
If you see a GP, they may also suggest going to a genitourinary medicine (GUM) or sexual health clinic. This is to get tested for other sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
How is hepatitis treated?
Treatment will depend on what type of hepatitis you have. Sometimes (especially for hepatitis A), the virus can go away on its own, without any specific treatment. Your doctor may just recommend medicines to help with aches and pains, itchiness, sickness and vomiting.
If you have hepatitis B or C, you’ll be referred to a doctor who specialises in liver. You may need antiviral therapy to help clear the virus. If you have chronic hepatitis (it’s lasted a long time), you may need regular blood tests and review with a liver specialist.
You should tell any sexual partners if you’ve been diagnosed with hepatitis. You may be asked to provide details of any recent close contacts so that these people can be notified.
Is there a vaccine for hepatitis?
There are vaccines available for hepatitis A and B. You may be offered vaccination if you’re at high risk of getting the infection. This includes if you inject drugs, and if you’re a man who has sex with men, especially if you have multiple sexual partners.
You may also be able to have the vaccine if you’ve been in contact with someone known to have hepatitis A or B. This can help to prevent you becoming infected.
How can I reduce my risk of getting hepatitis?
Apart from having the vaccine, there are many things you can do to lower your risk of getting hepatitis. This includes avoiding sharing needles if you inject drugs. It’s also important to practice safe sex to reduce your risk of getting hepatitis and other sexually transmitted infections. This includes the following.
- Use a condom whenever you have vaginal, oral or anal sex with a penis.
- During oral sex, you can use a latex square (dental dam) to cover the anus and vaginal opening, including the area around it.
- Don’t share sex toys. If you do, wash them well or cover them with a new condom before anyone else uses them.
- Wear latex gloves if you’re taking part in fisting (or appropriate latex-alternative gloves if either of you have a latex allergy).
- Before you have unprotected sex with somebody new, have a test for STIs.
Hello, I'm Dr Naveen Puri, I'm one of the GPs at Bupa Health Clinics. Today I'd like to talk to you about presenting with problems that may be of a sexual health nature.
We know that people can often feel embarrassed talking about their sexual health for fear of judgement. Some shame or embarrassment may accompany your concerns, but please let me assure you, as doctors, we've heard it all before.
Any concerns you have we've come across on many occasions and we're here to offer you a judgement and pain-free service in as far as we possibly can.
It's in your interest to tell us all your symptoms so we can help you get better and prevent any consequences that might come into play if you don't seek out help for your condition sooner rather than later.
We know for example some untreated infections can lead to problems with fertility. They can lead to pelvic inflammatory diseases or severe infection of the testicles so rather than you getting worse and your symptoms progressing to something more serious, let us know sooner rather than later so we can help you.
In terms of accessing sexual health services, there are many ways young can do this. We offer the services within Bupa and you can also access the services within the NHS as well.
Some people like to go to a walk-in service where they can turn up and wait for an appointment, others prefer to book an appointment in advance and that way they know when they're going to be seen and arrive at the clinic in an appropriate time frame as well.
I'd also say there's nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed about, we have seen and heard all of the symptoms before.
The kind of things people come to us with range from pain during intercourse, a discharge, either from the penis or the vagina, or other symptoms such as abdominal pain, a sore throat or other things that could occur after an infection is acquired.
So, whatever it might be, let us do the detective work for you. Let us know what your symptoms are.
Feel free to bring someone with you if you'd like, write your problems down so you can discuss them with us. Or use the language you want to as well, we don't expect you to know the medical terms for things we can help you with that as well.
And hopefully, together we can get to the bottom of whatever your issue is, and we can provide you with an appropriate treatment or cure if that is available as well.
We offer a range of sexual health services within our Bupa Health Centres. So whether you have symptoms and need to speak to a GP or don't have symptoms but want a check to see if you currently have an STI we have a check to suit you. Any customers who test positive receive a follow up with a GP and support from our 24/7 Nurse HealthLine. Learn more today.
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Sources Sources
- Hepatitis. Encyclopaedia Britannica. www.britannica.com, last updated 7 March 2022
- Overview of acute viral hepatitis. MSD Manual. www.msdmanuals.com, last full review/revision December 2020
- Assessment of jaundice. BMJ Best Practice. bestpractice.bmj.com, last reviewed 12 March 2022
- Hepatitis A. NICE Clinical Knowledge Summaries. cks.nice.org.uk, last revised May 2021
- Hepatitis B. NICE Clinical Knowledge Summaries. cks.nice.org.uk, last revised February 2022
- Hepatitis C. NICE Clinical Knowledge Summaries. cks.nice.org.uk, last revised April 2020
- Hepatitis A. NHS. www.nhs.uk, last reviewed 11 March 2019
- Hepatitis A. Terrence Higgins Trust. www.tht.org.uk, last reviewed 9 December 2021
- Sex activities and risk. NHS. www.nhs.uk, last reviewed 17 November 2018
- Hepatitis C. Terrence Higgins Trust. www.tht.org.uk, last reviewed 27 January 2021
- STIs overview. Sexwise. www.sexwise.org.uk, last updated March 2021
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