Материал: Глебова Е.И. - Английский язык для медицинских специалистов, 2012

4.Hepatitis

VOCABULARY and PRONUNCIATION

Task 1. Read out.

 READING and SPEAKING

Task 2. Warm-up discussion.

What is the main causative agent of hepatitis? Is it a contagious disease? What ways of transmission do you know?

Task 3. Read the text and answer the questions.

Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver caused by viruses, bacteria, exposure to medications, or hepatotoxins. Types of viral hepatitis are hepatitis A, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, hepatitis D, hepatitis E and hepatitis G.

Hepatitis A is a contagious liver disease caused by hepatitis A virus. It is commonly seen in autumn and early winter. Hepatitis A infection occurs worldwide. The disease is common in Africa, Asia, Central and South America. In Russia hepatitis A occurs in isolated cases and in outbreaks.

The ways of transmission include fecal-oral route and person-to- person contact. For this reason, virus is more easily spread in places with

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poor sanitary conditions or in places where people are not careful about washing their hands.

Children infected with hepatitis A virus often have no symptoms. Most adults have symptoms that develop over several days. Symptoms include fever, tiredness, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, or stomachache. Also specific symptoms of hepatitis develop like dark or brown-coloured urine, lighter-coloured stool, and jaundice, i.e. yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes. If symptoms occur, they usually last less than 2 months, although 10% to 15% of persons have prolonged or relapsing disease that can last up to 6 months.

Unlike other types of hepatitis, such as hepatitis B and hepatitis C, hepatitis A causes no long-lasting liver damage. Death from hepatitis A infection is rare.

There is no specific treatment for hepatitis A infection. People usually recover on their own after 2 or 3 weeks of bed rest. Having had the disease produces life-long protection against future hepatitis A virus infection.

Hepatitis A can be prevented if a patient is vaccinated. Vaccine provides long-term protection. The vaccine is licensed for use in persons 2 years of age and older. It must be given before exposure to virus. Two shots are needed for long-term protection.

Another type of hepatitis is hepatitis B. It is a contagious liver infection caused by hepatitis B virus. It is non-seasonal in nature and all age groups are affected.

Hepatitis B is easily spread by direct contact with the blood or body fluids of an infected person. For example, hepatitis B can be transmitted from an infected mother to her baby at birth, through unprotected sex with an infected person, by sharing equipment for injecting street drugs, and by occupational contact with blood in health-care settings. Hepatitis B is not spread through food or water or by casual contact.

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People can have hepatitis B and spread the disease without knowing it. Sometimes, people who are infected with hepatitis B virus never recover fully from infection. They carry the virus and can infect others for the rest of their lives.

Many persons who are infected with hepatitis B virus have no symptoms. Others become ill with the following symptoms: loss of appetite, malaise, fatigue, pain in muscles, joints, or stomach, diarrhea, vomiting, jaundice,etc.

Most people clear the hepatitis B virus out of their organism completely in a few months. In some people, hepatitis B virus can cause chronic life-long liver infection. Chronic infection can lead to liver damage (cirrhosis), liver cancer, and death.

There is no cure for hepatitis B. Treatment includes rest and proper diet. Hepatitis B vaccine is the best protection against hepatitis B virus. The vaccine prevents both hepatitis B virus infection and the chronic disease related to hepatitis B. Three shots are needed for complete protection.

1.What types of hepatitis do you know?

2.What are the ways of hepatitis A transmission?

3.What are the methods of making a diagnosis of hepatitis A?

4.How can a doctor treat hepatitis A?

5.What are the ways of hepatitis B transmission?

6.Who is at risk for hepatitis B?

7.What are the complications of hepatitis A and B?

8.How can hepatitis A and B be prevented?

Task 4. Are these statements true (T) or false (F)? If the statement is false, correct the statement.

1. Hepatitis is a chronic inflammation of the liver.

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2.Hepatitis is a noninfectious disease and cannot be transmitted from person to person.

3.Specific symptoms of hepatitis are brown urine, lighter-coloured stool and yellowish skin.

4.All types of viral hepatitis can be prevented by vaccination.

5.Hepatitis B and D are intestinal forms of hepatitis.

GRAMMAR

Task 5. Find Present Participles (P I) and Past Participles (P II) in the text and complete the table.

 WORD-BUILDING

Task 6. Complete the table with suitable words.

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