Infectious Hepatitis

What Is Infectious Hepatitis?

What is infectious hepatitis? Infectious hepatitis is the name used for the type of hepatitis now commonly known as hepatitis A.

Infectious hepatitis is an acute form of liver inflammation. You usually get it by eating or drinking something that's contaminated with fecal matter. It is caused by the hepatitis A virus (frequently abbreviated HAV).

Approximately 10 million people get infectious hepatitis every year around the world, but it occurs mostly in countries where clean where hygiene standards and sanitation is poor. It rarely occurs in the U.S. and other industrialized countries. U.S. citizens who get infectious hepatitis often contract it during visits to Third World countries.

Infectious hepatitis doesn't become chronic and does not cause permanent liver damage. Once you have it, your immune system develops antibodies and you won't get it again.

A vaccine is available for hepatitis A which has been effective in controlling outbreaks worldwide.

Children who are infected show no clinical symptoms at all in 9 out of 10 cases.

For others, symptoms of infectious hepatitis begin to appear a month after exposure to the virus. These symptoms often resemble the symptoms of influenza, including

• Abdomen pain, especially in the upper right quadrant
• Depression
• Diarrhea
• Fever and nausea
• Itching
• Lowered appetite
• Stool that appears unusually light in color
• Tiring easily or without apparent reason
• Unexplained or unexpected weight loss
• Urine that looks darker than usual
• Yellowing of the skin or whites of the eyes, also known as jaundice 

Individuals with infectious hepatitis also seem to have a strong dislike of cigarette smoke.

Symptoms of infectious hepatitis sometimes return over the following 6-9 months.

Unlike some other forms of hepatitis, infectious hepatitis requires little medical treatment. Sufferers can ease their discomfort from symptoms by resting, avoiding fatty foods and staying away from alcohol.

Staying well hydrated and eating a healthy diet can also help.

As mentioned above, there's a vaccine for hepatitis A. The vaccine has been shown to be effective in more than 9 out of 10 cases. The vaccine is administered through an injection into a muscle in the upper arm. The first dose protects you two to four weeks. If you get a booster dose 6-12 months later, the protection lasts as long as 20 years.

For those who have not been vaccinated, it's a good idea to be careful to eat clean food and drink clean water. Don't swim or surf in areas where it has rained recently and there's a lot of runoff which may carry fecal matter into lakes and streams (oceans too if you're going surfing). 

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