Symptoms of viral hepatitis A, its treatment and prevention
Viral damage to the liver of an acute nature is Botkin's disease, which in official medicine is classified as viral hepatitis A. The signs of pathology are pronounced and specific, so there are no problems with diagnosis. The disease can lead to severe complications and disability of the patient, so treatment of Botkin's disease takes place only in a hospital under the supervision of specialists.
Description of the disease
The incubation period of hepatitis A is the time from the moment of infection to the appearance of the first symptoms. On average, it lasts about 30-35 days, but in some cases it can vary from 15 to 50 days. During the incubation period, the virus spreads only through the bloodstream, there are no symptoms of the disease. A person feels completely healthy, although he is already a danger to others.
The acute form of the viral disease is most often diagnosed. Chronic hepatitis A is rare and each exacerbation is severe. Botkin's disease is often found in childhood and adolescence. Doctors associate this with close contact between children and staying in compact rooms.
70% of the adult population is immune to the virus. This is due to preventive measures taken in time - if you get vaccinated against viral hepatitis A, immunity to the disease will remain for life. The same stable immunity develops in the body of a person who has already fallen ill.
Symptoms of viral hepatitis A
Classic signs of Botkin's disease in childhood:
- pronounced weakness, lethargy and increased sweating at rest;
- increase in temperature to subfebrile indicators (37 degrees and slightly higher);
- disorder of the digestive system - vomiting regardless of eating, diarrhea;
- discharge of urine of a pronounced dark color and colorless (whitish) feces.
Jaundice of the skin and mucous membranes appears only 7-10 days after the virus enters the body. The disease can be diagnosed after carrying out a specific blood test for hepatitis A.
If the pathology proceeds in a severe form, additional symptoms of viral hepatitis A appear:
- sharp rise in body temperature to critical levels;
- enlargement of the liver - the organ is palpated by the doctor's hands without a specific instrumental examination;
- decrease in heart rate, rhythm goes astray;
- enlargement of the spleen;
- painfulness in the region of the right hypochondrium when pressed.
Symptoms of chronic hepatitis A in a patient differ in variability. During periods of remission, a person feels healthy, there is no yellowness of the skin and mucous membranes, a slight feeling of heaviness in the right hypochondrium is possible. Aggravation of the disease occurs with a decrease in immunity, alcohol consumption, vitamin deficiency. In this case, all classic symptoms manifest intensively.
How hepatitis A is transmitted
The source of the virus is a sick person whose body is in the incubation period. A special danger is the stage of asymptomatic stay of the virus in the bloodstream. As soon as yellowness appears on the skin and mucous membranes, the probability of infection decreases.
How hepatitis A is transmitted:
- Fecal-oral way. Through defecation, blood, saliva, during sneezing, using common dishes and personal hygiene items, during unprotected sexual contact.
- Through food products. It is difficult to establish a specific source of the virus, because the incubation period of the disease is long. It is believed that it is easiest to get infected through products that have not undergone heat treatment, fruits, vegetables and berries from areas fertilized with organic matter.
- Through the water. This way of virus transmission occurs rarely and most often in regions with poor living conditions, as well as during natural disasters and accidents.
- Because of the flies. Some researchers suggest that the hepatitis A virus can be transmitted by flies, but the real prevalence of this factor has not yet been scientifically proven.
Treatment of hepatitis A
If the disease proceeds in a mild form, no specific treatment is carried out. The patient is prescribed a diet that will support the functionality of the liver. In addition, he is recommended to rest in bed and refrain from any physical activity. If the symptoms of hepatitis still bother the patient, doctors will prescribe symptomatic therapy, but medications are prescribed very carefully so as not to harm the liver.
How to treat severe acute hepatitis A is decided by an infectious disease doctor. There is a high probability of developing a hepatic coma when the patient's consciousness and motor activity are impaired. It is important to quickly carry out aggressive therapy, for which they prescribe:
- short-course corticosteroids;
- detoxification solutions administered intravenously;
- introduction of blood-stopping drugs into the stomach through a probe;
- plasma transfusion;
- intravenous drip of anti-dehydration solutions.
Preventive measures
The prevention of hepatitis A in children consists in interrupting the ways of transmission of the virus. The main measures are considered to be:
- providing quality drinking water;
- creation of favorable sanitary conditions at home and in educational institutions;
- compliance with hygiene rules;
- eating thermally processed and safe products.
How to avoid hepatitis A infection if there are sick people in the team? It is necessary to immediately isolate yourself for the incubation period and undergo an examination by doctors - blood tests reveal the presence of the virus immediately after it enters the body. It is necessary to follow a diet that will relieve the liver.
On our website, you can find out in which cases antibodies to hepatitis A appear in adults and how the pathology is treated in case of a complicated course. On the pages of the Dobrobut.com site, it is possible to make an appointment with an infectious disease specialist for consultation.
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