Symptoms and Treatments

What is Hepatitis A?

Hepatitis medically refers to inflammation of the liver.  Hepatitis A is liver inflamed by viral infection called HAV which refers to one of many viruses that lead to hepatitis condition,

Description

Apart from Hepatitis A, there’s the B and C virus variant all of which are the most common afflicting mankind.  Unlike the two, Hepatitis A is not a chronic or long term liver ailment. Inflammation can be healed without long term damage and once healed, people develop antibodies to become immune to the disease and won’t contract it again for the rest of their lives.

Causes and Risk Factors of Hepatitis A

Inflammation of the liver has various pathologies. Viral infection, exposure to excess alcohol consumption, potent medication and chemicals, as well as immune system disorders can cause liver inflammation. Hepatitis A is caused by the HAV virus which tends to occur in epidemics or outbreaks.  Since the introduction of the HAV vaccine in the early 1990s, there were fewer incidences than before. In the US, as many as 1 out of 3 residents have HAV antibody which mean they have been exposed to it and won’t ever contract it again.

Hepatitis A is contagious and is found in human feces of people with the infection.  Transmission occurs in unsanitary surroundings when taking food or water that have been contaminated with Hepa A virus in a fecal-oral transmission.  The virus spread is fast. It can also be transmitted when eating raw or under-cooked foods, particularly shellfish collected from sewage-contaminated ponds, rivers or lakes.   While rare, it can also be transmitted through blood transfusion.

The risk of infection is highest in poor or developing countries and in areas where unsanitary conditions attend the preparation of food such as prisons, daycare centers and mental institutions.  People infected with HAV can infect others after about one week of infection. The following people have a high risk of getting HAV:

• Household members where one is infected
• Sexual partners where one is infected
• Officer workers in contact with someone in the office already infected
• Travelers, military personnel and medical missions stationed in unsanitary locations in developing countries
• Use of illegal or controlled substances
• Sodomy and fellatio practices between gay men

Symptoms of Hepatitis A

The known symptoms of Hepatitis A  tend to appear abruptly and usually last less than 2 months while some have been reported to take as long as 6 months. Recovery is usually complete.  The symptoms include

• Tiredness and fatigue
• Loss of appetite
• Nausea and vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Abdominal pain in the liver area, right side of the abdomen
• Low grade fever
• Jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes)
• Dark urine

In severe cases where extensive vomiting takes place, dehydration can occur and this causes the following symptoms

• Confused mental state and inability to concentrate
• Rapid heartbeat
• Irritability
• Headaches
• Urinating less frequently than usual

Diagnosis of Hepatitis A

There’s no need to prolong the symptoms when you suspect your liver is at risk.  Hepatitis A is curable. Nausea, vomiting and pain in the liver are enough to bring anyone to the doctor.  Confirmation of Hepatitis A is done with a blood test (IgM anti-HAV) which can detect the presence of antibodies to the Hepatitis A virus as well as the B and V variants as well.  If you are suffering from severe vomiting, blood electrolysis may be conducted.

Treatment of Hepatitis A

Hepatitis A has no specific direct medication and if not for the discomforting symptoms, is a self-limiting disorder that will go away even without treatment.  The usual treatment is meant to relieve the symptoms.

If you get in contact with someone you suspect is infected with HAV or end up eating in unsanitary conditions. There’s immediate treatment that is more preventive.  Taking immunoglobulin is effective for at most two weeks after exposure to HAV and has been shown to prevent people from getting the infection.

Immunoglobulin is often the first line of defense used to protect household or office contacts of someone with viral hepatitis, as well as by travelers, military staff and medical mission who need to fly to regions with known poor sanitation and high hepatitis A incidences. They can take it together with hepatitis A vaccines. GP