Hepatitis A is a liver disease. Hepatitis means inflammation (irritation and swelling) of the liver from the hepatitis A virus. Inflammation is the painful, red swelling those results when tissues of the body become injured or infected. Inflammation can cause organs to not work properly.

CAUSES

The hepatitis A virus causes hepatitis A. Viruses are germs that can cause sickness. For example, the flu is caused by a virus. People can pass viruses to each other.

The hepatitis A virus is found mostly in the stools and blood of an infected person about 15 - 45 days before symptoms occur and during the first week of illness.

INCIDENCE

You can catch hepatitis A if:

• A person with hepatitis A does not wash his or her hands properly after going to the bathroom and touches other objects or food
• You eat or drink food or water that has been contaminated by stools containing the hepatitis A virus (fruits, vegetables, shellfish, ice, and water are common sources of the hepatitis A virus)
• You come in contact with the stool or blood of a person who currently has the disease
• You participate in sexual practices that involve oral-anal contact

RISK FACTORS

People who are at higher risk

• People who travel to developing countries.
• You could get hepatitis A through contact with an infected person's stool.
• drinking untreated water or eating food washed in untreated water
• People who live with someone who has hepatitis A
• People who use illegal drugs
• Men who have sex with men
• Eating food made by an infected person who didn't wash his or her hands after using the bathroom
• Having close personal contact with an infected person, such as through sex or caring for someone who is ill
• Placing a finger or object in your mouth that came into contact with an infected person's stool

There is no risk of Hepatitis from :

• someone sneezing or coughing on you
• Working in a health care, food, or sewage industry
• IV drug use
• hugging an infected person
• International travel
• sitting next to a person who has hepatitis A
• Living in a nursing home or rehabilitation centre

SYMPTOMS

Many people with hepatitis A infection have no symptoms at all. Symptoms may be so mild that they go unnoticed. Older people are more likely to have symptoms than children. People who do not have symptoms can still spread the virus.

Children younger than age 6 often have no symptoms. Older children and adults often get mild, flu like symptoms.

Symptoms of hepatitis A usually develop between 2 and 6 weeks after infection.

 The most common symptoms of hepatitis A include:

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Diarrhoea, especially in children
• low-grade fever
• loss of appetite
• stomach pain
• rash
• tiredness, fatigue
• jaundice
• Darkish brown urine
• Pain in area of liver.
• Itching
• Pale or clay- colored stool

DIAGNOSIS

The doctor will perform a physical examination and may discover that you have an enlarged and tender liver.

Blood tests may show the results.

TREATMENT

Hepatitis A usually gets better in a few weeks without treatment.

Take lots of rest and avoid drinking alcohol, which bothers the liver.

See your doctor who may suggest medicines to help relieve your symptoms. If symptoms persist, especially if you are an older person, then you should see a doctor again.

When you recover, your body will have learned to fight off a future hepatitis A infection. However, you can still get other kinds of hepatitis.

Fatty foods may cause vomiting, because substances from the liver are needed to digest fats. avoided during the acute phase.

 PROGNOSIS

The virus does not remain in the body after the infection has gone away.

Nearly all patients get better within 6 months. Over 85% of people with hepatitis A recover within 3 months.

There is a low risk of death, usually among the elderly and persons with chronic liver disease.

PRECAUTIONS

• You can avoid getting hepatitis A by getting the Hepatitis A vaccine.The hepatitis A vaccine teaches your body to attack the hepatitis A virus. Vaccines are medicines that keep you from getting sick. Vaccines teach the body to attack specific germs.
• The hepatitis A vaccine is given through two shots. The second shot is given 6 to 12 months after the first shot. Both shots are needed to be fully protected from the virus.
• All children should be vaccinated and must be at least 12 months old to get the first shot.
• Adults at higher risk of getting hepatitis A and people with chronic liver disease should also be vaccinated.
• If you are traveling to countries where hepatitis A is common, try to get both shots before you go. If you don't have time to get both shots before you travel, get the first shot as soon as possible. Most people gain some protection within 2 weeks after the first shot.

Hepatitis A can also be prevented by:

• Use filtered water for drinking, making ice, and washing fruits and vegetables.
• Always wash your hands with warm, soapy water after using the toilet or changing diapers and before fixing food or eating.
• Always wash your hands thoroughly after using the restroom and when you come in contact with an infected person's blood, stools, or other bodily fluid.
• The virus may spread more rapidly where people are in close contact and through day care centers. Thorough hand washing before and after serving food, and after using the restroom may help prevent such outbreaks.
• Avoid unclean food and water.
• If you have recently been exposed to hepatitis A and have not had hepatitis A before or have not received the hepatitis A vaccine series, ask your doctor or nurse about receiving either immune globulin or the hepatitis A vaccine.

Common reasons why you may need to receive one or both of these include:

• You live with someone who has hepatitis A
• You recently shared illegal drugs, either injected or noninjected, with someone who has hepatitis A
• You recently had sexual contact with someone who has hepatitis A
• You have had close personal contact over a period of time with someone who has hepatitis A
• You have eaten in a restaurant where food or food handlers were found to be infected or contaminated with hepatitis A
• Vaccination against hepatitis A infection is available. The vaccine begins to protect 4 weeks after receiving the first dose. The 6- to 12-month booster is required for long-term protection.

Travelers should take the following precautions:

• Get vaccinated against hepatitis A (and possibly hepatitis B) if traveling to countries where outbreaks of the disease occur.
• Beware of sliced fruit that may have been washed in contaminated water. Travellers should peel all fresh fruits and vegetables themselves.
• Use only carbonated bottled water for brushing teeth and drinking. Even ice cubes can carry infection
• If no water is available, boiling water is the best method for eliminating hepatitis A. Bringing the water to a full boil for at least 1 minute generally makes it safe to drink.
• Avoid dairy products.
• Avoid raw or undercooked meat and fish.
• Do not buy food from street vendors.
• Heated food should be hot to the touch and eaten right away.
• See your doctor immediately if you think you have been exposed to the hepatitis A virus. A medicine called hepatitis A immune globulin may protect you from getting sick if taken shortly after exposure to the hepatitis A virus.

COMPLICATIONS

There are usually no complications. One in a thousand cases becomes fulminant hepatitis, which can be life threatening.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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