Hepatitis A

It is the most common type of viral hepatitis,caused by the picornavirus of enterovirus group.The hepatities A virus  is very infectious and spreads mainly by  the faecal-oral route,through ingestion of contaminated food or water.Overcrowding and poor sanitation helps in spreading the disease. After infection,the viruses replicate in the liver,excreted in the bile and then in the faces of the infected patient for about 2 weeks before the onset of clinical illness and upto 7 days after.There is no carrier state of hepatities A virus.The incubation period is about 30 days.It is also called infectious,or epidemic or short-incubation hepatitis

Clinical characteristic of Hepatities A

Symptoms:
1.The prodromal symptoms are gradual  onset of fever with chills,headeche and malaise.
2.Gastrointestinal symptoms are anorexia,distaste for cigarettes,nausea,vomiting and diarrhoea.
3.A stady upper abdominal pain occurs in upper right quadrant.
4.Patients may complain of dark urine & pale stools.
Physical signs:
1.Appearence of jaundice with yellow discolouration of skin,sclera &mucus membrane.
2.The liver is usually tender:may or may not be readily palpable.
3.Cervical lymph nodes enlarged &may be palpable.
4.Splenomegally may occur.
5.Dark yellow urine & pale stool.
The intensity of symptoms and signs gradually diminishes & in couse of 3 to 6 weeks duration,the great majority of cases recover