01 General Review :
Are there traces of hepatophilic virus in your body?
Understand more about "Continuous Viral Infection"
Infants and kids are easy victims of hepatophilic virus and such an infection often leaves behind life-long illness. People used to think that virus causes only acute infection. It is incorrect. Research in the last decade has made known to us that virus may cause not only acute infection but also sorts of specific illnesses resulting from different types of viruses. And it is found that a viral infection may lead to a "continuous viral infection." Therefore an infection by the hepatophilic virus may cause chronic viral hepatitis which, if not diagnosed and treated with a traditional Chinese medicine system in time, may lead to a continuous viral infection which will show recurrently clinical symptoms of chronic hepatitis and even result in different forms of extrahepatic complications, cirrhosis or even hepatic carcinoma.
What viruses may cause hepatitis?
In fact, other than the seven types of hepatic viruses that were already discovered, quite a number of viruses tend to attack the liver after they invade into the human body. This characteristic among them may be called hepatophilic tendency. These viruses, such as cytomegalovirus (CMV), EB virus, yellow fever virus, rubella virus, Coxsackie virus, herpes simplex virus, mumps virus, etc., may cause clinical pathologic changes and symptoms of hepatitis. Therefore we term all those viruses that may cause viral hepatitis "hepatophilic viruses." The traditional belief that hepatitis was caused only by hepatic virus is not comprehensive.
Continuous Viral Infection
Sustained viral infection may fall into these four categories: latent infection, chronic infection, delayed complications after an acute infection, and chronic infection. After the human body is attacked by a virus, the virus may coexist with the cells of the host for a long time and the host becomes a carrier with no or little clinical symptoms (a case in point is hepatitis B).
However, the fact is that the virus may use the cells of the host to multiply itself and expel toxin and cause further infection. Ultimately owing to the incessant multiplication of the virus, the immunity reaction in the host body may produce large quantities of "antigen-antibody complexus." The high rate of multiplication of the virus tends to cause the sedimentation of large quantities of the "antigen-antibody complexus" in different parts of the human organs which may cause pathological changes and physiological dysfunction thus resulting in serious illnesses, among which are chronic progressive cerebral diseases, immune-complex diseases (ICD), malignant tumors, immune deficiency, and recurrent acute-chronic diseases.
The Damage of Sustained Viral Infection
Clinical observation shows the virus diseases caused by sustained viral infection may very possibly be the root cause of the numerous common diseases and frequently encountered diseases of today. A person during his short life span may be frequently attacked by hepatophilic viruses and suffers from extrahepatic complications. A viral infection may be the most common and the leading factor for death. The outcome of a virus induced disease is usually much more serious than a chronic bacterial disease.
The clinical symptoms of a viral infection usually do not disappear in a short time. When a person is infected by a hepatophilic virus, the virus may inflict damages to different organs of the human body which develop relevant clinical symptoms and leave behind their traces in the human body. Unfortunately, this has not aroused due vigilance among many physicians and patients alike. They fail to be aware of the existence of chronic hepatophilic viruses, with the result the disease worsens and extrahepatic complications increase and intensify. Many patients do not go to see a doctor for treatment until the symptoms are quite obvious at the later stage of the development. Therefore an early diagnosis and effective treatment by a Chinese medical system are vital for the early alleviation or even ultimate cure of the disease.
What Traces will a Hepatophilic Viral Infection leave in the Human Body?
What traces will a hepatophilic viral infection leave in the human body? The most typical traces are those found in blood tests such as the hepatophilic virus related antigens, antibodies, DNA, and abnormal function of the liver.
In clinical examinations, it is not uncommon to find the positive indications of the relevant antigens and antibodies, and even the abnormal changes of the biochemical values of the blood and the abnormal values of the functions of the liver. Besides, with the help of supersonic and computer scanning, a clinical physician can determine whether it is viral hepatitis infection. However, clinical practice has also proved that such scanning cannot be 100 percent accurate. Suppose the symptom of an early case is overlooked, the physician may arrive at a mistaken diagnostic conclusion.
Then what are those traces of viral infections in the human body that should arouse our vigilance against the possibility of the infliction of a viral hepatitis? There are many answers. This is because a hepatophilic viral infection usually leads to many common diseases and frequently encountered diseases which will leave behind numerous traces. By close observation, it is possible to classify chronic hepatitis by the traditional Chinese medicine and make accurate diagnosis. Naturally, not all the traces are left behind by the hepatophilic viruses. We are going to discuss some diseases and symptoms in the next issue.
