Of the six different types of hepatitis caused by identified viruses, hepatitis A is the least serious. Hepatitis A is transmitted by food and water that has been contaminated, or by contact with a person who has the disease; hepatitis A has symptoms that resemble the common flu, as your liver is affected for a period of time. Nearly ninety percent of those with hepatitis A recover fully within three months, and nearly everyone with it is better in six months. There is no treatment for hepatitis A other than rest and the avoidance of certain foods and drinks, and over one hundred thousand people come down with hepatitis A in the United Sates each year.
Hepatitis A affects your liver, causing it to become inflamed and along with hepatitis B and C is one of the three most common hepatitis viruses in America. Once you have had hepatitis A, you cannot get it again, and most individuals suffer no long-term damage from the disease. Hepatitis A tends to occur in outbreaks and epidemics because of how it is spread, and as many as one third of the population in the United States has been exposed to it at one time or another and have developed antibodies to the malady. Someone with hepatitis A will have the virus present in their stool, and when someone fails to thoroughly wash their hands or is living where poor sanitary conditions are present, they can infect any food or drink that they come in contact with. Such a method of transmission is known as fecal-oral transmission, and is one of the primary ways hepatitis A makes it way from one person to the next. The virus can also be spread when you eat raw or undercooked shellfish that have been contaminated by sewage and through a blood transfusion from someone with the disease.
Many of those infected with hepatitis A do not show symptoms, or they are so mild that they are never noticeable. Children especially often fail to exhibit hepatitis A symptoms, which, as the liver becomes infected and inflamed, can develop two to six weeks after the infection first starts and can include nausea and vomiting. Diarrhea is a common symptom, mostly in kids, and it can come with a low grade fever, a rash, loss of appetite, and fatigue. The urine will be a dark brown hue and there can be pain in the area where the liver is located, on the right aside of your abdomen under your rib cage. Because the liver is unable to filter out certain compounds, you may experience a yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes with hepatitis A, a condition known as jaundice. The symptoms of hepatitis A last about two months, but can linger for as long as nine. If you are infected with the hepatitis A virus, you can begin to spread the disease about one week after your own exposure to it. Even those people who show no hepatitis A symptoms but have the condition are able to spread the disease.
When you begin to exhibit any of these symptoms, especially the jaundice and darkened urine which can be a giveaway for hepatitis A, you need to see your doctor, remembering that you may be highly contagious. Blood tests that look for the antibody your body produces to fight hepatitis A will be done to confirm if you have the disease, and you will probably be screened for other more serious forms of hepatitis. If you are diagnosed with hepatitis A you will be told to get plenty of rest and drink plenty of fluids to avoid possible dehydration. There are several medications for pain that can cause harm to your liver and you will be asked to refrain from taking any, meds such as Tylenol. Alcoholic beverages can make hepatitis A symptoms worse, so avoid drinkingany while you are ill. The practice of good personal hygiene will be stressed so as to not infect anyone in your family. If you are experiencing bad bouts of nausea or vomiting, you may be given medicine to get them under control.
The hepatitis A virus is a hardy little fellow, capable of surviving being frozen and able to thrive at room temperature, unlike many other viruses. Temperatures of over one hundred and eighty five degrees Fahrenheit will kill it during food preparation, and all possibly contaminated surfaces should be disinfected with household bleach. If you have the virus, wash your hands most thoroughly with soap and warm water and dry them completely each and every time you go to the bathroom. This is great advice whether you have hepatitis A or not, and be sure to do the same when you change a baby’s diaper and prepare food. Undercooked and raw shellfish consumption is asking for trouble, and if you travel to underdeveloped areas, be sure to avoid untreated water.
A vaccine for hepatitis A that is given in a series of two shots is available. The vaccine contains no live virus and is extremely safe, licensed for use in people two years old and up. The second shot is given six to eighteen months after the first one and protection from hepatitis A begins about two to four weeks after the first shot, with the second one given to insure long-term protection. The vaccine is relatively new and should provide twenty years worth of protection from hepatitis A, but they do not work if they are received after you have been exposed to the virus. If you suspect you may have been exposed to hepatitis A, you can receive a preparation of antibodies called immune globin that can help prevent the disease if you have a dose of it within two weeks of exposure to the virus. The elderly and very young, as well as people with advanced chronic liver disease to begin with, are most at risk of serious complications from hepatitis A, and while death from hepatitis A is extremely rare, it is possible.
