The incubation period for hepatitis A is the time from the moment of infection until the first signs of the disease appear. It lasts from 3 to 4 weeks. Possible changes of this period from 15 to 50 days. During this time, the virus spreads in the body and multiplies. The person still feels well and does not suspect that he has fallen ill. However, for others it is already dangerous.
You can become infected in places with low levels of sanitation and hygiene. The source of the spread of infection is already infected person. Most often, the virus "attacks" children and adolescents who do not always carefully monitor their hygiene. That is why this form of hepatitis is called “dirty hand disease”.
Occurrence of the disease
Viral hepatitis A - the most common intestinal infection in the world, occurring as an acute cyclical disease. This liver disease can occur in both mild and severe form. The virus spreads:
Unlike other forms of hepatitis, infection with this virus does not lead to the development of chronic liver disease and does not threaten death. However, in rare cases, the patient may develop acute liver failure, which often ends in death.
The manifestation of the main symptoms of viral hepatitis A is more common in adult patients than in children. The development of severe forms with serious consequences occurs mainly in the elderly. In children under 6 years of age, any noticeable symptoms may not appear at all. Older children and adults are more likely to suffer from the development of jaundice. In rare cases, recurrence of the disease. A person may undergo an acute attack of the disease immediately after recovery.
Complications of this form of hepatitis are extremely rare. This may be exacerbation of inflammation of the biliary tract or the development of secondary pathologies, for example, pneumonia.
The manifestation of the main symptoms may vary depending on the state of the human immune system, its age, the severity of the virus attack and other circumstances.
The combination of these conditions determines the severity of the disease:
- easy;
- medium;
- heavy.
To assess the etiology of hepatitis and to establish its severity, laboratory tests are conducted. The clinical picture of hepatitis A is not different from the manifestations of other types of viral infection. The most accurate diagnosis of the disease is possible only after a blood test and the detection of specific antibodies.
Periods of illness
Hepatitis A is characterized by a successive change of periods:
- incubation;
- jellyfish;
- jaundiced;
- recovery period.
The period from the moment of infection into the body and until the first symptoms appear lasts up to 35 days on average. Changes in the body become noticeable when the incubation period for hepatitis A comes to an end:
The next stage, the so-called dozheltushny, averages 5–7 days with intervals from 1 to 21 days. At this time, the patient suffers from headaches, pain in muscles and joints. His body temperature rises, his appetite disappears, weakness arises, he quickly gets tired. Often there is nausea and vomiting, itching appears. Children during this period may begin diarrhea. In adults, there is pain in the upper abdomen. However, not all infected people suffer from all these symptoms. - The next stage of the disease is jaundiced. On average, it lasts 2–3 weeks with possible intervals from 7 days to 2 months. At this time, yellowing of the mucous membranes, albuminous membranes of the eyes and skin is manifested. There is a change in the color of urine. It darkens and gets the color of strong tea. Feces discolor. Jaundice develops quickly and in the first 7 days can reach its maximum. With its development, some symptoms of the previous period subside or disappear altogether. The patient may suffer from general weakness and loss of appetite, feeling of heaviness in the right hypochondrium for the longest time. The body temperature of the patient at this time returns to normal.
During the period of acute illness, the recovery phase begins. The patient feels better, the body begins to recover, signs of pigmentation are reduced. The skin and mucous membranes return to their normal appearance, the color of urine becomes lighter, feces acquire their usual color. The body is restored, the biochemical parameters return to normal. The recovery period can last from 6 to 12 months, sometimes stretching up to 2 years.
Sources of distribution
The main source of the spread of infection is a sick person who is at the initial stage of the disease.
The period of maximum danger of infection of others can last from 1 to 1.5 months. After the onset of the icteric period, the release of a dangerous virus is observed in only 5% of cases.
Danger represent urine, feces and discharge from the nasopharynx of the patient. This method of spreading the disease is called fecal-oral. Besides, virus is transmitted with food, water, sexual intercourse, using non-sterile medical instruments, which is often observed among people with drug addiction.
At risk are also those who are in direct contact with the patient. Such contact is possible in places of large concentrations of people, in school and preschool institutions.
