Viral Hepatitis A: Types, Causes, Symptoms and Prevention
July 25, 2019
Viral hepatitis is on the rise. Unfortunately, not many of us are aware enough of the virus and the roadmap to its prevention and cure. Before we begin with the complete guide to hepatitis A, one should know that hepatitis refers to the swelling of the liver cells and detrition to the liver. Although there can be many contributing causes and types of hepatitis, the symptoms remain similar.
The liver can be referred to as the most used organ in the human body; it detoxifies the blood, stores vitamins and produces hormones. Coming in contact with hepatitis can result in slowing down liver functions and therefore creating substantial health issues.
Viral Hepatitis A Causes
Hepatitis comes in three forms hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C. Interestingly, all three of them are caused by different viruses. Usually, all three types of hepatitis are acute, i.e. could last up to six months or lesser. However, in some case, hepatitis B and hepatitis C can take a more extended period to wear off. In this post, we are covering Hepatitis A.
Known for being acute, most of the patients who suffer from Hepatitis A recover in a short span. After the infection, most of the infected patients make a full recovery and also get immune from it in the future. However, in some cases, it ends up being life-threatening. Infection usually attacks demographics with poor sanitation conditions.We now have safe and potent vaccines for protection against hepatitis A.
Viral Hepatitis A: Beware of These Actions
These are the actions that may lead to a Hepatitis A outbreak:
- Cooking without washing hands
- Consuming contaminated water
- Eating seafood sourced from a polluted water body
Viral Hepatitis A Symptoms
People infected with hepatitis A either experience mild symptoms or no symptoms at all in the initial phase. Usually, the symptoms appear in 15 days or 180 days from the infection.
Here are the symptoms to watch out:
- Fatigue, Nausea and Vomiting
- Abdominal pain, Loss of appetite
- Mild fever, Dark urine, Joint pain
- The yellowness of skin and Whiteness around eyes
These symptoms show up in the initial phase and are not deemed to be dangerous; however, in case of a major infection, these symptoms could be near fatal for patients.Chronic hepatitis symptoms include Dark urine, itchy skin, whiteness around eyes and tongue.
Most of these symptoms last for a shorter span, but in some cases, Hepatitis A infection could go on for several months.
Viral Hepatitis A: Time To Consult A Doctor
If you have the symptoms mentioned by us, then maybe it is best to consult a doctor and get a vaccination or immunoglobulin injection. The first step is for the doctor to diagnose if the symptoms are legit. After diagnosing, the doctor may suggest you get vaccinated.
Not just symptoms, there are several other events when you should get Hepatitis A vaccination. Check out the situations when you must see a doctor or get vaccinated for viral Hepatitis A infection.
- If you have recently travelled abroad
- If your frequent eating or take out is reported for Hepatitis A spread
- If someone close to you has contracted the infection
- Sexual contact with the infected person.
Symptoms are just indicators of a health condition. A complete diagnosis is made after lab tests. When you consult a doctor, they will do a physical checkup first followed by assessing medical history to gauge if the patient has been exposed to severe surroundings leading to a probable infection. To clear the suspicion, a doctor may suggest Blood tests or Nucleic acid tests. A blood test will detect if antibodies are being produced by the body to fight the disease while the Nucleic acid test would confirm the spreading speed of the virus.
Get Liver test samples collected at home
With Inputs by Dr. Vignesh