Hepatitis is the Latin word for liver inflammation. It is characterised by the destruction of a number of liver cells and the presence of inflammatory cells in the liver tissue. Hepatitis can be caused by diseases which primarily attack the liver cells. It can also arise as a result of a disease such as mononucleosis . This is a disease in which a number of liver cells are destroyed by the patient's own immune system.
Autoimmune hepatitis can also sometimes occur as acute hepatitis.
The cause is unknown. A person can develop hepatitis if he or she contracts one of the viruses which can cause liver inflammation, or as a result of exposure to substances which can cause hepatitis - alcohol, fungal toxins, and medicines. Fortunately, the latter type of hepatitis is rare. Some patients have no symptoms at all, and in most cases, children only show mild symptoms. It is a sign that the disease has become serious.