An Overview of Types of Viral Hepatitis
Hepatitis is a medical term that means inflammation of the liver. It can be caused by many different things. However, one of the most common causes of hepatitis is an infection with a virus. This is known as
viral hepatitis.
There are several types of viral hepatitis, each one caused by a different virus. This includes:
Hepatitis A, B, and C are the most common types of viral hepatitis in the United States.
Types of Viral Hepatitis: Hepatitis A
Hepatitis A is caused by an infection with the
hepatitis A virus (HAV). This is a single-stranded RNA virus from the family
Picornaviridae and genus
hepatovirus. The virus only infects humans.
Hepatitis A is most commonly spread by eating or drinking something (or putting something in your mouth, such as a utensil) that has been contaminated with the stool of a person with hepatitis A. This type of transmission is called "fecal-oral" transmission. For this reason, the hepatitis A virus is more easily spread in areas where there are poor sanitary conditions or where good personal hygiene is not observed.
Most infections result from contact with a household member or sex partner who has hepatitis A. Casual contact, as in the usual office, factory, or school setting, does not spread the virus.
While hepatitis A can cause swelling of the liver, it doesn't normally cause permanent liver damage. For most people, symptoms are mild (
see Hepatitis A Symptoms).
There is no specific
hepatitis A treatment. Fortunately, the disease usually gets better on its own. Most people who get hepatitis A recover in several months, and people who get hepatitis A typically do not get it again.
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