Hepatitis B and C Diseases - Coursework Example

Common symptoms of hepatitis B include anorexia, fatigue, low-grade fever, vomiting, nausea, disturbances in sleep patterns, gastrointestinal bleeding, and mental confusion. The clinical presentation of hepatitis B is through the presence of following jaundice, hepatomegaly, splenomegaly, Palmar erythema, spider nevi, muscle wasting, spider angiomas, myocarditis, pericarditis, and diffuse intravascular coagulation (Shih, 2011).

On the other hand, hepatitis C may prove to be asymptomatic. However, some patients present symptoms such as decompensated liver disease symptoms, paresthesias, myalgias, sicca syndrome, arthralgias, and jaundice. Currently, vaccination for hepatitis B has been developed and infants who are at risk of contracting the virus through the mother to the child should receive the vaccine. In addition, other individuals at a higher risk of being infected should seek the vaccine. Acute hepatitis B requires first-line oral therapy (p. 43). Nursing care should ensure that there is proper monitoring of the patient through blood tests to prevent the occurrence of a chronic case. Nursing care of patients with chronic hepatitis presenting liver damage should ensure a dietary restriction that involves low sodium and high protein diets.

Treatment of acute hepatitis seeks to prevent the progression of the disease and minimize the chances of transmission. On the other hand, hepatitis C does not have any vaccine now. However, patients with acute hepatitis C can receive standard therapy of six months, which proves to be highly effective. Treatment comprises a combination of antiviral drugs as well as HCV protease and polymerase inhibitors. Serious cases of hepatitis C may require a liver transplant. Both hepatitis B and C can trigger serious liver damage (p. 87). Since different viruses cause the two diseases, the types of treatments vary according to the genotype of the virus. Read More