Hepatitis is pronounced – HEP-ah-TY-tis.

Hepatitis A is a liver disease. Hepatitis makes your liver swell and stops it from working right.

You need a healthy liver. Your Liver does many things to keep you alive. Your liver fights infections and stops bleeding. Your liver removes drugs and other poisons from your blood. Your liver also stores energy for when you need it.

Who Gets Hepatitis A?

Anyone can get hepatitis A, but some people are more likely to than others:

• Children in day care could get hepatitis A.
• People who work in a day care center.
• People who live with someone who has hepatitis A.
• Men who have sex with men.
• People who travel to other countries where hepatitis A is common.

Causes of Hepatitis A

Hepatitis A is caused by infection with the Hepatitis A virus (HAV).

A virus is a germ that causes sickness. For example, the flu is caused by a virus. People can pass viruses to each other. The virus that causes hepatitis A is called the hepatitis A virus.

How Hepatitis A Spreads

Hepatitis A is spread by close personal contact with someone else who has the infection.

You could also get hepatitis A by:

• Eating food that has been prepared by someone with hepatitis A.
• Drinking water that has been contaminated by hepatitis A, in parts of the world with poor hygiene and sanitary conditions.

Wash your hands before fixing or eating food.

Symptoms of Hepatitis A

Some people with hepatitis A don’t have symptoms. However, some people with hepatitis A feel like they have the flu. You might:

• Feel tired.
• Feel sick to your stomach.
• Have a fever.
• Not want to eat.
• Have stomach pain.
• Have diarrhea.

Some people have:

• Dark yellow urine.
• Light-colored stools.
• Yellowish eyes and skin.

If you have symptoms or think you might have hepatitis A, go to a doctor. The doctor will test your blood.

Treatment of Hepatitis A

Most people who have hepatitis A get well on their own after a few weeks.

You may need to rest in bed for several days or weeks, and you won’t be able to drink alcohol until you are well. The doctor may give you medicine for your symptoms.

Bed rest and medicine will help you get better.

Other Types of Hepatitis

Hepatitis has the following forms:

• Autoimmune Hepatitis – Autoimmune hepatitis is a disease in which the body’s immune system attacks liver cells. This immune response causes inflammation of the liver, also called hepatitis.
• Hepatitis A – A virus most often spread by unclean food and water.
• Hepatitis B – A virus commonly spread by sexual intercourse or blood transfusion, or from mother to newborn at birth. Another way it spreads is by using a needle that was used by an infected person. Hepatitis B is more common and much more easily spread than the AIDS virus and may lead to cirrhosis and liver cancer.
• Hepatitis C – A virus spread by blood transfusion and possibly by sexual intercourse or sharing needles with infected people. Hepatitis C may lead to cirrhosis and liver cancer. Hepatitis C used to be called non-A, non-B hepatitis.
• Hepatitis D – Delta Agent – Delta agent is a type of virus that occurs mostly in people who take illegal drugs by using needles. Only people who have hepatitis B can get hepatitis D.
• Hepatitis E – A virus spread mostly through unclean water. This type of hepatitis is common in developing countries. It has not occurred in the United States.

For More Information About Hepatitis A

American Liver Foundation (ALF)
75 Maiden Lane, Suite 603
New York, NY 10038-4810
Phone: 1-800-GO-LIVER (465-4837)
1-888-4HEP-USA (443-7872), or 212-668-1000
Fax: 212-483-8179
Email: info@liverfoundation.org
Internet: www.liverfoundation.org

Hepatitis Foundation International (HFI)
504 Blick Drive
Silver Spring, MD 20904-2901
Phone: 1-800-891-0707 or 301-622-4200
Fax: 301-622-4702
Email: hfi@comcast.net
Internet: www.hepfi.org

National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse
2 Information Way
Bethesda, MD 20892-3570
Phone: 1-800-891-5389
TTY: 1-866-569-1162
Fax: 703-738-4929
Email: nddic@info.niddk.nih.gov
Internet: www.digestive.niddk.nih.gov

Source: digestive.niddk.nih.gov – December 2003