Conditions and symptoms
What Is Hepatitis? Why Medicine Labels Warn About It
Hepatitis · say it: hep-uh-TY-tisAlso written: liver inflammation, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, drug-induced hepatitis
Short answer
Hepatitis means inflammation of the liver. It can be caused by viruses, alcohol, some medicines or the immune system.
What it means
Hepatitis simply means the liver is inflamed. Viruses are a common cause (hepatitis A, B, C, D and E), but alcohol, fatty liver, autoimmune conditions and some medicines can also cause it. It can be short-lived (acute) or long-lasting (chronic). Signs can include tiredness, nausea, dark urine, pale stools and yellow skin or eyes.
Medicine labels warn about 'hepatitis' or liver injury when a medicine has rarely been linked to liver inflammation. They ask you to stop and contact a doctor if you notice yellow skin or eyes, dark urine, or pain in the upper right belly. Labels for some immune-suppressing and cancer medicines also warn that hepatitis B can flare up again, so testing is done first.
Hepatitis is different from cirrhosis, which is lasting scarring. Long-term hepatitis can lead to cirrhosis, but not everyone with hepatitis develops it.
Where you may see it
- 'Warnings' sections of labels for some antibiotics, seizure medicines and TB medicines
- Liver blood test reports (ALT, AST)
- Hepatology and infectious disease letters
📄 How it looks on a report
Cases of drug-induced hepatitis, some fatal, have been reported. Discontinue if signs of hepatitis occur.
🙅 What it does not mean
- Hepatitis does not always mean a virus or an infection you can pass on.
- Slightly raised liver tests do not always mean hepatitis.
- A label warning does not mean it is likely to happen to you.
🗒️ Questions to ask your doctor
💊 Medicines whose labels mention “Hepatitis”
Plain-English explanations of each medicine, from its official FDA label.
- Acyclovir
An antiviral medicine of the nucleoside analogue type, used against herpesviruses
- Albendazole
an anthelmintic drug, a medicine used to treat infections caused by parasitic worms
- Amoxicillin and Clavulanate Potassium
A penicillin-class antibacterial combined with a beta-lactamase inhibitor, as the label describes it
- Azithromycin
a macrolide antibacterial (antibiotic) medicine
- Cephalexin
a cephalosporin antibacterial medicine (an antibiotic that treats bacterial infections)
- Ciprofloxacin
a fluoroquinolone antibacterial medicine
- Dexamethasone
A corticosteroid, a synthetic adrenocortical steroid medicine that lowers inflammation and suppresses the immune system
- Dolutegravir
an HIV-1 integrase strand transfer inhibitor (INSTI), a type of HIV medicine
- Isoniazid
An antibacterial medicine of the antimycobacterial type, used against tuberculosis bacteria
- Lamivudine
An antiviral medicine of the nucleoside analogue reverse transcriptase inhibitor type, used here for hepatitis B
🔗 Read more from trusted sources
- “Hepatitis” on MedlinePlus ↗
US National Library of Medicine
- NCI Dictionary definition ↗
US National Cancer Institute: “hepatitis”
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General information about a medical word, not advice about your own results. Ask the clinician who ordered the test what it means for you.