Some people
don’t have any symptoms, others experience tiredness, fever, dark urine or
yellowing of the skin or eyes.
Hepatitis A
is an acute infection, which usually goes away of its own accord without any
ongoing problems, and does not become a chronic infection. There is no treatment
for hepatitis A. In some rare cases, in which the liver is already damaged, hepatitis
A infection can be very severe and can lead to liver failure.
If
hepatitis A is suspected, a blood test will look for two antibodies: HAV-IgG
and HAV-IgM.
Glossary
- acute infection
In
hepatitis, the first six months of infection. See also ‘chronic infection’.
- chronic infection
When somebody has had
an infection for at least six months. See also ‘acute infection’.