hepatitis
noun
also hepatitises
ˌhe-pə-ˈtī-tə-səz
Did you know?
The liver, the body's largest gland, performs many important tasks, but is also vulnerable to many illnesses. At least five types of hepatitis, labeled with the letters A–E, are caused by viruses. The most common are hepatitis A, acquired through contaminated food and water; hepatitis B, which usually travels via sexual activity or shared needles; and hepatitis C, generally passed through shared needles. Some other types, including alcoholic hepatitis (caused by drinking too much alcohol), aren't infectious. There are vaccines for types A and B, and drug treatments for A, B, and C, though the drugs aren't always effective.
Examples of hepatitis in a Sentence
Dr. Brittany Chambers, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
The spike in hospitalization rate for alcoholic liver disease — which consists of alcoholic cirrhosis, alcoholic hepatitis and alcoholic fatty liver — is a nationwide trend.
—Kunle Falayi, The Arizona Republic, 25 Mar. 2024
However, some people can experience more severe complications that require hospital care, including pneumonia, endocarditis, hepatitis and inflammation of the nerves or the brain resulting in neurologic problems.
—Erin Clack, Peoplemag, 10 Mar. 2024
From 2007 to 2010, the Los Angeles jails had several hepatitis vaccination campaigns targeting gay men, and from 2017 to 2019 jail officials offered vaccines to the entire population after a hepatitis A outbreak in San Diego.
—Keri Blakinger, Los Angeles Times, 16 Feb. 2024
According to Larson, severe alcoholic hepatitis could be fatal in 30 days in half of the patients who develop this condition.
—Stephanie Brown, Verywell Health, 18 Jan. 2024
Deaths can also be partially attributable to excessive alcohol use, such as chronic hepatitis and certain cancers,heart disease and stroke.
—Jen Christensen, CNN, 29 Feb. 2024
Having an effective hepatitis C medication on the market isn’t enough to solve the problem, said Dr. Jeffrey Klausner, an infectious disease specialist at USC.
—Emily Alpert Reyes, Los Angeles Times, 4 Feb. 2024
Palestinian health officials reported 8,000 cases of viral hepatitis infection due to displacement yesterday.
—NBC News, 20 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hepatitis.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near hepatitis
Cite this Entry
“Hepatitis.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hepatitis. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
hepatitis
noun
also hepatitises
Medical Definition
hepatitis
noun
also hepatitises
Share