Hepatitis A (patient information)

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What is Hepatitis A?

Hepatitis means inflammation of the liver. The liver is a vital part of the body. If it does not work properly, it can cause serious illness. Viral hepatitis is the term used when the hepatitis is caused by a virus. There are several types of viral hepatitis including A, B, C, D and E; the most common types in the United States are hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C. All these viruses affect the liver but are spread in different ways. So the ways to prevent people from getting the virus are different too. Drinking alcohol or taking drugs (whether legal, illegal or prescription) can also cause a type of hepatitis.

Hepatitis A is a contagious liver disease that results from infection with the hepatitis A virus (also known as HAV). One can acquire HAV by ingesting food contaminated with the virus. Typically, HAV can cause the liver to swell, but does not cause any permanent damage. Patients may fee flu-like symptoms or have no symptoms at all. For most patients, HAV will go away on its after several weeks.

How is Hepatitis A spread?

Hepatitis A is spread through ingesting food or water contaminated by the feces of an infected person. People with HAV are infectious from the beginning of the incubation period (about a month before symptoms) until one week after they become jaundiced.

Common ways of acquiring Hepatitis A are:

• Direct Person-to-person transmission
  • Eating food made by someone who has HAV who did not properly wash their hands after using the bathroom.
  • Having anal or oral sex with someone who has HAV.
  • Not washing hands after changing a diaper (young children often are asymptomatic)

• Indirect transmission
  • Eating uncooked food that is HAV-contaminated. Cooked food can also cause Hepatitis if not heated to 185°F (85°C) for 1 minute after being contaminated with HAV.
  • Drinking contaminated water. This is a common route of infection in underdeveloped countries. Chlorinated water, such as tap water in developed countries, kills HAV.

What are the symptoms of Hepatitis A?

HAV has incubation period of about 28 days (anywhere from 15 to 50 is usual).

Some patients, often young children, have no symptoms. 70% of children younger than 6 who have HAV have no symptoms. Old patients are usually symptomatic. The symptoms of HAV are:

• Fever
• Fatigue
• Loss of appetite
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Abdominal pain
• Dark urine
• Clay-colored bowel movements
• Joint pain
• Jaundice. Younger children (<6yrs) typically do not get Jaundiced, while older patients often (>70%) do.

Symptoms typically last less than 2 months, but 10%-15% of patients still have symptoms or have relapses up to 6 months after the onset of symptoms. Unlike other instances of Hepatitis (such as Hepatitis C), HAV is always acute.

Where to find medical care for Hepatitis A

Directions to Hospitals Treating Hepatitis A

Sources

• MedlinePlus

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