Eruptive virus diseases and liver disease (Part I)
The previous article mentioned about the relation between herpes, herpes zoster and chronic hepatitis. Besides herpes, a kind of “eruptive viral” disease, “eruptive virus” disease should also include a group of acute infectious diseases, like measles, German measles and varicella. These are the virus diseases named by Chinese literature as measles, eruptive illness, eruptive syndrome, patchy eruptions, patchy measles, upon which the TCM drugs showed their marked effectiveness and therefore, were held in esteem by the Chinese people. The common clinical characteristics of these diseases are “fever” and “eruptions”. But modern medicine also confirms that they can produce hepatitis. It is worthwhile to pay attention to the following: “hepatitis virus does not produce type A, B, C hepatitis; it can also produce various types of “eruptive virus disease” and cause clinically acute and chronic virus hepatitis”.
We are informed that the infant, leaving the maternal body and coming to the world, is immerged in the objective environment where he is uninterruptedly infected by various hepatophilic viruses. Affection of the above diseases in one’s life span is basically unavoidable, in spite of the various protective injections scheduled in infancy and childhood for the production of antibodies. But this does not guarantee that the child, after the cure of these diseases, would not have subsequent “liver disease”, because some viruses may incubate in the tissues or inside the cells and activate again under certain conditions to induce clinical symptoms. At present, hepatitis, not belonging to type A, B, C, is extremely common. Because for thousands of years, TCM drugs showed superior effectiveness in the treatment of virus diseases, so, when patients suffer from the above virus infections and display the tendency of having liver damage, parents and attending physicians should observe their children closely for the existence of repeated chronic hepatitis symptoms, abnormal margin of hepatic dullness and hepatic dysfunction. If positive, the patient should receive systemic TCM therapy.
| Measles
From clinical observation, children suffering from measles are seldom seen to have hepatitis (possibly related to milder immune response), but it is reported that 62% of young people attached by measles have liver damage and 86% of adults with measles have such injury, complicated occasionally with jaundice, hepatomegaly and impairment of liver function, and 1/3 of these patients have vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhea. But abnormality of liver function usually recovers within two weeks.
German measles When it injuries the liver, it is called German measles hepatitis; it chiefly occurs in infants. Clinically, these are jaundice, hepatomegaly and damage of liver function, and these conditions subside following disappearance of the German measles.
Varicella If infected, the patient usually has fever, upper respiratory tract infection and generalized red, patchy popular eruptions as well as vesicles and scabs. One third of the patients may have the infection spread to various organs resulting in primary varicella pneumonia, hepatitis, cephalitis and pancreatitis. It can also lead to damage of the heart and kidney. Varicella hepatitis usually occurs in children with immune effect. Clinical manifestations include vomiting, jaundice, hepatomegaly, percussion tenderness and functional damage of liver; increase of ALT is very common.
Herpes simplex When herpes simplex virus causes hepatic damage, it is called herpetic hepatitis. According to statistics, herpetic hepatitis usually occurs in newborn infants and children with immune deficiency or serious malnutrition. Its manifestations are hepatic pain, fatigue, indigestion, mild jaundice, hepatomegaly or shrinkage of liver (when necrosis occurs); in the late stage, there may be hemorrhage, failure of hepatic and renal function and fulminating hepatic necrosis can cause death. Therefore, the prognosis of herpetic hepatitis is poor. |
Introduction of cases
| Case 16
Elder sister Kwong, female, age 5 years. She had a history of nasal hypersensitivity and asthma with frequent relapses. In the recent two days, because of fever, cough and varicella, she first visited the clinic on October 1997. Physical examination: varicella eruptions sparsely scattered over the whole body, part of which appearing as scabs; hepatomegaly of 1.5 cm. After taking 9 parcels of TCM drugs, the liver returned to normal and the varicella also healed. TCM therapy was stopped after 4 weeks of medication.
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| Case 17
Younger sisister Kwong, female, 16 months. She had her first visit on October 1997. Her mother substituted her for the complaint that she was hospitalized 2 months ago because of otitis media and pneumonia associated with high fever for 5 days. She was discharged after 12 days of hospitalization. After that, she suffered from common cold, bronchitis, roseola, varicella associated with diarrhea and nocturnal crying. She asked for TCM treatment. Physical examination: sparse dermal varicella marks over chest and back; hepatomegaly of 1.5 cm. After 9 parcels of TCM drugs, the varicella healed, coughing stopped and the liver returned to normal. Therapy was stopped after a 4 weeks course and clinical cure was obtained. A return visit was made 3 months later because of fever, but the liver was still normal, there was no hepatomegaly.
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By WONG Kwok Hung
published on 11th December 2001
(translated by Professor ZHENG Hua En in 2003)