Hepatitis%20a%20-and-%20e Signs and Symptoms
Risk Factors for Hepatitis A Virus (HAV) Infection
- International travel
- Men who have sex with men (MSM)
- Illegal drug use
- Occupational risk: Persons working with clinical or nonclinical material containing HAV in a research laboratory setting
- Homelessness, institutionalized individuals
- Immunosuppression (eg HIV-positive individuals, chronic liver disease): With increased risk for severe disease
- Old age (>40 years old)
Signs and Symptoms
- The majority of acute viral hepatitis infections are asymptomatic or they can cause an anicteric illness that may not be diagnosed as hepatitis
- Hepatitis A generally causes minor illness in childhood with >80% of infections being asymptomatic
- Adults are more likely to produce clinical symptoms
- Symptoms usually last for <2 months; some patients may have prolonged infection or may experience disease relapse
- Hepatitis B, C and D may also be asymptomatic
- Symptomatic hepatitis B will depend on the mode and time of transmission
- Vertical transmission from mother to child is almost always asymptomatic
- Other routes of transmission are more likely to produce symptomatic disease (30% of cases transmitted by IV drug use are icteric)
- Hepatitis E is usually asymptomatic; patients with symptoms are usually older adolescents or young adults
- Extrahepatic manifestations [eg Guillain-Barré Parsonage-Turner syndrome, neuralgic amyotrophy, bilateral brachial neuritis, peripheral neuropathy, encephalitis, membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis with or without cryoglobulinemia, membranous glomerulonephritis, acute pancreatitis, other autoimmune manifestations (eg myocarditis, arthritis, thyroiditis), thrombocytopenia] have been observed
- Some patients may experience persistent hepatitis E virus (HEV) replication and immunocompromised patients or those with chronic liver disease are at risk for chronic HEV infection with prolonged viremia (>6 months)
Preicteric Phase
- Nonspecific systemic symptoms (eg myalgia, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, malaise with discomfort in the right upper quadrant of the abdomen)
- Altered sense of smell or taste, coryza, photophobia, headache, cough, diarrhea, dark urine and serum sickness-like syndrome
- Hepatomegaly, splenomegaly and lymphadenopathy may be seen on physical exam
Icteric Phase
- Jaundice, usually noted after onset of fever or upon lysis of fever
Fulminant Hepatitis
- Development of symptoms of hepatic encephalopathy (eg confusion, drowsiness within 8 weeks of symptoms or within 2 weeks of onset of jaundice)
- Hypoglycemia, prolonged prothrombin time (PT)
Pathogenesis
Routes of Transmission of Hepatitis
- Hepatitis A: Oral-fecal (eg ingestion of contaminated food or water), person-to-person contact, sexual contact
- Hepatitis B: Perinatal, percutaneous, sexual, close person-to-person contact ie by open cuts and sores
- Hepatitis C: Blood transfusions, organ transplants, percutaneous (especially IV drug use), sexual, perinatal
- Hepatitis D: Sexual, percutaneous especially IV drug use, mucous membrane contact with infectious blood or body fluids
- Found only in patients with hepatitis B since it requires the hepatitis B outer coat
- Hepatitis E: Oral-fecal (ingestion of contaminated food or water), blood transfusion in endemic areas
Incubation Period
- Hepatitis A: 15-50 days
- Hepatitis B: 30-180 days
- Hepatitis C: 14-180 days
- Hepatitis D: 30-180 days
- Hepatitis E: 15-60 days
Other Characteristics of Hepatitis Viruses
- Hepatitis B virus (HBV) contains a DNA nucleic acid while A, C, and E viruses have an RNA nucleic acid
- Hepatitis D has an incomplete RNA and needs the B virus to replicate
- Hepatitis A and E viruses cause epidemics
- Hepatitis B, C, and D viruses may predispose to chronic disease and hepatic malignancy