Overview
Hepatitis A is a highly contagious liver infection caused by the hepatitis A virus.
It is spread through food or water that has been exposed to the feces of an infected person. This infection can be prevented by vaccine and can only be treated with medical care. Hepatitis A cannot be self-diagnosed. If you start to experience symptoms associated with the disease, you are required to undergo medical or laboratory examination to confirm if you have it or not.
With the right treatment, hepatitis A symptoms [1] are usually short-term and may resolve within days to weeks. In some cases, the symptoms may last up to a few months.
This condition is a critical one that needs emergency care. The hepatitis virus can damage the liver and may lead to death if left unattended.
There is no known cure for hepatitis A, but mild cases don’t require treatment. The bulk of people who are infected with the virus recover completely with no permanent liver damage. Rest and maintaining hydration are also necessary to improve symptoms of this condition. The hepatitis A virus is usually transmitted through the feces of an infected person, but it is also a sexually transmitted infection (STI) [2]. It can be transmitted via unsafe or unprotected sexual activities, especially anal sex.
There are some common symptoms of hepatitis A but in some people, particularly children, it may cause no symptoms. In these persons, the virus may last for several months and may become life-threatening if it deteriorates to cause hepatic or liver failure.
Here is a list of symptoms that are associated with hepatitis A: