What Is Hepatitis A?

A to Z on HEPATITIS A (Infectious Jaundice)

Especially with the start of school, personal hygiene, which children should pay more attention to, is very important for this disease, as it is for other infectious diseases. Infectious jaundice, or viral hepatitis in medical terminology, is the name given to a common inflammatory disease of the liver caused by viruses. There are many types of hepatitis; however, the first ones that come to mind are Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B, because they are frequently seen and are contagious...

We spoke with Dr. Ramazan Gözüküçük, Specialist in Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology at Hisar Hospital Intercontinental, about Hepatitis A, an infectious disease, from A to Z.

What Is Hepatitis A?

It is hepatitis caused by the Hepatitis A virus. It can spread through contaminated water and food and cause outbreaks. It is quite common especially in regions with inadequate infrastructure. Approximately 99% of cases resolve on their own and completely, without causing permanent liver damage. Once a person has had it, the chance of getting it again is very low.

How Is It Transmitted?

Hepatitis A is transmitted by swallowing water and food (vegetables and fruits) contaminated with the feces of an infected person. Hands play a very large role in transmission, as the virus can survive on hands for hours. Desks and door handles at schools, and taps in toilets, can become contaminated with feces carrying the virus, and transmission from these surfaces to the mouth via hands becomes easier and more widespread. For this reason, the risk of Hepatitis A transmission increases in crowded settings such as schools, workplaces and hospitals, especially when hygiene conditions are not ensured.

How Common Is It?

Infectious jaundice caused by the A and B viruses is very common in our country. In Turkey, until the 2000s, 80-90% of young people who reached university age had contracted the Hepatitis A virus in childhood, even if they were not aware of it. However, due to increasing urban living and improvements in hygiene conditions, many people now do not contract Hepatitis A in childhood and therefore have no natural immunity, and symptomatic infections that generally require hospitalization in adulthood are developing.

What Are the Symptoms of Hepatitis A?

A person with hepatitis may sometimes have no symptoms at all. In particular, in the large majority of children and in some adults, jaundice may not appear or may remain faint. For this reason, the disease can pass undiagnosed, especially in young children. Moreover, in children, symptoms are milder and shorter-lasting. Sometimes a flu-like picture with fever and joint pain may develop. However, the most frequently seen symptoms are:

Weakness

Loss of appetite

Abdominal pain

Nausea

Yellowing of the skin and eyes

Darkening of urine color

How Is It Diagnosed?

In viral hepatitis, a definitive diagnosis is made through blood tests. For this reason, if hepatitis is suspected, one should consult the nearest healthcare facility without losing any time. Through tests, information can be obtained about both the diagnosis of the disease and its stage, whether it is progressing, the amount of virus circulating in the blood, and its subsequent course.

Treatment

During the acute phase of a new illness, it can be monitored and treated with inpatient care, or it can be followed up with rest at home. Patients who have difficulty eating due to nausea and vomiting are given serum support. In addition, during this period, the patient is fed easily digestible foods. Low-fat foods are recommended. It is appropriate for glucose-rich foods such as grapes, grape molasses and honey to be included in the diet. During this period, rest is important for the patient. Also, since inflammatory reactions in the liver may increase and worsen the disease, various medications, heavy fatty foods, and all foods containing additives should be avoided, and alcohol must absolutely not be consumed. The acute disease generally resolves on its own within 4-6 weeks.

Prevention and recommendations:

Vaccination against Hepatitis A should be carried out routinely during childhood. If a person has not been vaccinated or has not had hepatitis, they should get tested, especially as the disease tends to be more serious in adults; if they have no immunity, they should be protected by getting vaccinated.

Hand-washing habits play an important role in the contagiousness of viral hepatitis, as in all infections. Hands must always be washed after every toilet visit, before starting to prepare food, and before and after eating. This is because this virus is transmitted through water and food contaminated with feces. Especially during travel to countries with inadequate hygiene conditions, such as Africa, infection can easily develop in people who have no immunity. In conclusion, it should not be forgotten that hepatitis is a widespread and contagious disease with significant consequences, that its treatment does not always succeed, and that effective vaccines against Hepatitis A and B exist for protection. Protection should be ensured by vaccination against Hepatitis A in particular, which is currently not on the Ministry of Health's routine vaccination schedule but is under consideration for inclusion in the schedule.