{"id":4191,"date":"2026-06-12T20:52:12","date_gmt":"2026-06-12T17:52:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/medilab.km.ua\/?p=4191"},"modified":"2026-06-25T09:43:21","modified_gmt":"2026-06-25T06:43:21","slug":"gepatyt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/medilab.km.ua\/en\/gepatyt\/","title":{"rendered":"Why does the liver hurt and how to recognize the hidden symptoms of hepatitis in time"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>When it comes to liver health, viral hepatitis remains one of the most insidious challenges. The main problem is the long asymptomatic course, due to which organ damage is often detected at a late stage. Accurate laboratory testing allows not only to establish the presence of the virus, but also to analyze its profile in detail: determine the genotype, reproduction activity and predict the response to future treatment.<\/p>\n<p>Today, qualitative diagnostics are based on a combination of two different but complementary methods \u2014 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and molecular genetic testing (PCR). Using only one of them can lead to errors, as they look for different structures of the virus.<\/p>\n<h3>ELISA and PCR - why one method does not replace the other<\/h3>\n<p>Diagnosis of viral hepatitis is a step-by-step process, where each test performs its own specific function.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)<\/strong><br \/>\nAllows you to detect antigens (proteins of the virus itself) and antibodies, i.e. the body&#039;s immune response. This method is a basic test. It helps to determine the stage of the process, distinguish the acute phase from the chronic, identify periods of exacerbations or confirm the presence of protection after vaccination.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)<\/strong><br \/>\nIt directly detects the genetic material of the pathogen (DNA or RNA). Qualitative analysis confirms the fact of active reproduction of the virus in the blood. Quantitative PCR analysis determines the level of viral load. This is critically important for the doctor, because a high level indicates the activity of the infection, and a decrease in indicators in dynamics is the main marker of the effectiveness of antiviral therapy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<blockquote><p>A positive ELISA result for antibodies does not always mean that a person is sick right now - it may be a trace of a past infection that the body has dealt with. Conversely, PCR is able to detect the virus at the earliest stages, when antibodies have simply not had time to be produced.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h3>Classification of viral hepatitis - transmission routes and risks<\/h3>\n<p>Today, hepatitis A, B, C, D, G, and other types are clearly distinguished. According to the specifics of their spread and consequences for the body, they are divided into two large groups.<\/p>\n<h4>1. Enteric hepatitis (A, E)<\/h4>\n<p>They are transmitted mainly through dirty water, food and household contacts. They are acute, have clear symptoms and do not become chronic. However, such viruses can significantly aggravate the patient&#039;s condition if they are superimposed on already existing chronic liver problems.<\/p>\n<h4>2. Parenteral hepatitis (B, C, D, G)<\/h4>\n<p>Transmitted through blood during manicures, tattoos, medical or other procedures, as well as sexually and from mother to child. These viruses are prone to persistent chronic course. For example, <a href=\"https:\/\/medilab.km.ua\/en\/gepatyt-c\/\" title=\"Hepatitis C\"  data-wpil-monitor-id=\"51\">Hepatitis C becomes chronic<\/a> form in over 70-80% cases.<\/p>\n<h3>Comparative characteristics of viral hepatitis<\/h3>\n<p>Below are the main markers of viruses that are subject to regular laboratory testing in practice.<\/p>\n<div class=\"table-scroll\"><table style=\"width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse;\">\n<thead>\n<tr style=\"background-color: #f2f2f2;\">\n<th style=\"border: 1px solid #dddddd; padding: 8px; text-align: left;\">Type of hepatitis<\/th>\n<th style=\"border: 1px solid #dddddd; padding: 8px; text-align: left;\">Transmission route<\/th>\n<th style=\"border: 1px solid #dddddd; padding: 8px; text-align: left;\">Risk of chronicity<\/th>\n<th style=\"border: 1px solid #dddddd; padding: 8px; text-align: left;\">Key laboratory markers (ELISA\/PCR)<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid #dddddd; padding: 8px;\"><strong>Hepatitis A (HAV)<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid #dddddd; padding: 8px;\">Through water and food<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid #dddddd; padding: 8px;\">Missing (0%)<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid #dddddd; padding: 8px;\">Anti-HAV IgM (acute phase), Anti-HAV IgG (immunity)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid #dddddd; padding: 8px;\"><strong>Hepatitis B (HBV)<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid #dddddd; padding: 8px;\">Through blood and sexual contact<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid #dddddd; padding: 8px;\">Moderate (5-10% in adults)<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid #dddddd; padding: 8px;\">HBsAg (basic screening), Anti-HBs (immunity), HBV DNA (PCR)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid #dddddd; padding: 8px;\"><strong>Hepatitis C (HCV)<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid #dddddd; padding: 8px;\">Through blood and sexual contact<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid #dddddd; padding: 8px;\">High (70\u201380%)<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid #dddddd; padding: 8px;\">Anti-HCV total antibodies, HCV RNA (qualitative, quantitative PCR, genotyping)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid #dddddd; padding: 8px;\"><strong><strong><a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" title=\"Hepatitis D (HDV): Real-time PCR-quantitative determination\" href=\"https:\/\/medilab.km.ua\/en\/analysis\/infectious-disease-panel\/gepatyty\/gepatyt-d-hdv\/gepatyt-d-hdv-real-time-pcr-kilkisne-vyznachennya\/\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"640\">Hepatitis D<\/a> (HDV)<\/strong><\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid #dddddd; padding: 8px;\">Through blood<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid #dddddd; padding: 8px;\">Develops only with HBV<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid #dddddd; padding: 8px;\">Anti-HDV total, HDV RNA (PCR). <em>It reproduces only in the presence of hepatitis B.<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid #dddddd; padding: 8px;\"><strong>Hepatitis G (HGV)<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid #dddddd; padding: 8px;\">Through blood<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid #dddddd; padding: 8px;\">Weakly expressed<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid #dddddd; padding: 8px;\">HGV RNA (PCR). Often occurs together with hepatitis C.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/div>\n<h3>A comprehensive approach to liver protection<\/h3>\n<p>The diagnostic strategy is designed to eliminate any doubts. The initial detection of markers by ELISA should always be supported by molecular genetic confirmation using PCR. Only this approach provides a complete clinical picture. The doctor learns not just about the presence of the virus, but about its behavior at a specific point in time, which allows you to stop the development of the disease in time and preserve liver function.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When it comes to liver health, viral hepatitis remains one of the most insidious challenges. The main problem lies in the long asymptomatic course, due to<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13733,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4191","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-zahvoryuvannya-ta-symptomy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/medilab.km.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4191","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/medilab.km.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/medilab.km.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medilab.km.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medilab.km.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4191"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/medilab.km.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4191\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medilab.km.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13733"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/medilab.km.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4191"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medilab.km.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4191"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medilab.km.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4191"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}