liver and gallbladder disorders
Hepatitis A
Introduction
Acute hepatitis A is inflammation of the liver that is caused by the hepatitis A virus and that lasts less than 6 months. Hepatitis A is usually spread when people ingest something that has been contaminated by the stool of an infected person. Hepatitis A causes typical symptoms of viral hepatitis (including loss of appetite, a general feeling of illness, and jaundice) in older children and adults but may cause no symptoms in young children. Doctors diagnose hepatitis A based on blood tests. Vaccination against hepatitis A is recommended for all children and for adults likely to be exposed to the infection or to develop severe complications of the infection. There is no specific treatment for hepatitis A, but most people recover completely. (See also Overview of Hepatitis and Hepatitis A is the most common cause of acute viral hepatitis. It is particularly common among children and young adults. Hepatitis A does not become chronic. That is, the infection does not last longer than 6 months. When people are exposed to the hepatitis A virus, their immune system produces antibodies that protect people from getting hepatitis A again (they are immune to the virus). In the United States in 2018, over 12,400 cases of hepatitis A were reported, and an estimated 24,900 cases of hepatitis A occurred (many cases are not recognized or not reported). Worldwide, an estimated 1.4 million cases of hepatitis A occur each year. 