Hepatitis A

Hepatitis A: Hepatitis A is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis A virus. The virus is primarily spread when an uninfected (and unvaccinated) person ingests food or water that is contaminated with the faeces of an infected person.Symptoms: The incubation period of hepatitis A is usually 14–28 daysSymptoms of hepatitis A range from mild to severe, and can include fever, malaise, loss of appetite, diarrhoea, nausea, abdominal discomfort , and dark-coloured urine and jaundice (a yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes). 

Causes: Hepatitis A usually get it when you eat or drink something that's got the virus in it. It's the least risky type because it almost always gets better on its own. It doesn't lead to long-term inflammation of your liver.Diagnosis: Hepatitis A is not clinically distinguishable from other types of acute viral hepatitis. Specific diagnosis is made by the detection of HAV-specific IgM and IgG antibodies in the blood. Additional tests include reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to detect the hepatitis A virus RNA, but may require specialised laboratory facilities.

Treatment :There is no specific treatment for hepatitis A. Recovery from symptoms following infection may be slow and may take several weeks or months. Therapy is aimed at maintaining comfort and adequate nutritional balance, including replacement of fluids that are lost from vomiting and diarrhoea.

statistics: The overall prevalence of HAV was 26.9% among inhabitants of Japan: 20.4% (95% CI: 15.8–25.0) among indigenous Japanese and 33.3% (95% CI: 28.0–38.7) among Koreans living in Japan. Among indigenous Japanese, the prevalence was 13.4% (17/127) in men and 25.6% (44/172) in women with a significant difference (p = 0.010) between the two; the age ratios were 4.7% (among individuals in their 40s), 20.0% (50s), and 55.0% (over 60 years of age) with a significant and gradual increase noted with increasing age (p< 0.00004).