Sitemap

Hepatitis A

Hepatitis A is a virus that infects the liver. People with Hepatitis A vary in how sick they feel. The younger you are when you become infected, the less likely you are to feel sick. However, the majority of adults will feel unwell, lose their appetite, develop nausea and fatigue and may feel they have the flu. Some people go off coffee and cigarettes.

If your GP suspects you have Hepatitis A they will arrange a blood test to check your liver function and see if you have antibodies to the Hepatitis A virus in your blood.

Many people develop jaundice, a yellow tinge in the whites of the eyes and skin. The urine may become very dark. Rarely, people develop an intense itch.

Hepatitis A is spread from person to person, or through food contaminated with faeces that contains the Hepatitis A virus. There are other hepatitis viruses such as Hepatitis B and C which are spread through sexual activity or through blood contact, such as sharing needles, or at birth. This is hardly ever the case with Hepatitis A.

Facts About Hepatitis A
Third Edition 2007

Contents

• What is Hepatitis A?
• How is Hepatitis A spread?
• How do I know if I have Hepatitis A?
• Who is infectious?
• How is Hepatitis A treated?
• Can I get chronic liver damage from Hepatitis A?
• Can I be infected with Hepatitis A again?
• Who is most at risk of infection?
• What can I do to protect myself from Hepatitis A?

Download

Facts About Hepatitis A is now available as an A4 size pdf file.
Hepatitis A (Adobe Acrobat PDF 300K)