Article Medically Reviewed By:
Gregory T. Everson, MD, FACP, AGAF
Professor of Medicine and Director of Hepatology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Boulder, CO
Overview
What Is It?
The hepatitis viruses all cause acute inflammation of the liver, and some infections related to hepatitis B and C may become chronic .
You've probably heard warnings about hepatitis , a category of viral infections that can cause serious liver damage and even lead to death. Hepatitis literally means inflammation of the liver ( hepa = liver; it is = inflammation ).
If you're having trouble keeping up with the alphabet soup of the different types of the hepatitis virus you're not alone. There are five main types: A, B, C, D and E. For the most part, however, you need to concern yourself only with hepatitis A, hepatitis B and hepatitis C.
The hepatitis viruses all cause acute inflammation of the liver, and some infections related to hepatitis B and C may become chronic . Although many hepatitis infections do not cause symptoms, in those that do, the leading symptoms are:
- jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes)
- fatigue or malaise
- abdominal pain
- appetite loss
- nausea
- diarrhea
- vomiting
The good news is that vaccines against hepatitis A and hepatitis B have been introduced in the last few decades. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that all children be vaccinated against hepatitis B at birth, and that those at risk for either infection get the appropriate vaccinations.
Hepatitis A
Hepatitis A is an acute liver disease caused by the hepatitis A infection that lasts for a few weeks to a few months. It does not lead to chronic liver infection. According to the CDC, there were about 25,000 new hepatitis A infections in 2007. In 2006, the incidence of hepatitis A was 1.2 per 100,000, the lowest number ever recorded. Symptoms of hepatitis A usually do not appear until you have had the virus for a month and include fatigue , nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain or discomfort, appetite loss, low-grade fever, dark urine , muscle pain, itching and yellowing of the eyes and skin (jaundice). Not everyone with the infection develops symptoms. Symptoms usually clear up within two months but may last as long as six months.
You can contract hepatitis A via the following:
- Drinking contaminated water
- Eating raw shellfish from polluted water
- Close contact with someone who is infected
- Sexual intercourse with someone who has the virus
- Eating food that was handled by someone who didn't wash his or her hands thoroughly after using the bathroom
- Receiving a blood transfusion with blood contaminated with hepatitis A (this is rare)
You are at an increased risk of contracting hepatitis A if you:
- Travel to regions with high rates of hepatit...
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