Also called: Also called: HAV
Hepatitis A is one type of hepatitis - a liver disease - caused by the hepatitis A virus (HAV). The disease is spread primarily through food or water contaminated by stool from an infected person. You can get HAV from
- Eating food prepared by someone with HAV who did not wash their hands after using the bathroom
- Having anal/oral sex with someone with HAV
- Not washing your hands after changing a diaper
- Drinking contaminated water
HAV can cause swelling of the liver, but it rarely causes lasting damage. You may feel as if you have the flu, or you may have no symptoms at all. It usually gets better on its own after several weeks.
The hepatitis A vaccine can prevent HAV. Healthy habits also make a difference. Wash your hands thoroughly before preparing food, after using the toilet or after changing a diaper. International travelers should be careful about drinking tap water.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
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Hepatitis A(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/common/infections/hepatitis/897.printerview.html
Also available in Spanish http://familydoctor.org/online/famdoces/home/common/infections/hepatitis/897.printerview.html
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JAMA Patient Page: Hepatitis A Virus(American Medical Association) - http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/reprint/294/2/270.pdf
Also available in Spanish http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/data/294/2/270/DC1/1
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What I Need to Know about Hepatitis A
(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/hepa_ez/
Also available in Spanish http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/spanish/pubs/hepa_ez/index.htm
- Hepatitis A(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/hepatitis-a/DS00397/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
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Hepatitis A(National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases) - http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/topics/hepatitis/hepatitisA/
- Hepatitis A Basics(Dept. of Veterans Affairs) - http://www.hepatitis.va.gov/vahep?page=basics-15-00
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Viral Hepatitis: A through E and Beyond(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/viralhepatitis/
- Hepatitis A Vaccine Gives Long-Lasting Protection(01/06/2009, Reuters Health) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_73503.html
- Hepatitis A: The Test(American Association for Clinical Chemistry) - http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/hepatitis_a/test.html
- Liver Panel(American Association for Clinical Chemistry) - http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/liver_panel/glance.html
- Viral Hepatitis(American Association for Clinical Chemistry) - http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/conditions2/hep_table.html
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Hepatitis A Vaccine(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - Links to PDF - http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/vis/downloads/vis-hep-a.pdf
Also available in Spanish http://www.immunize.org/vis/sp_hpa06.pdf
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Vaccinations for Hepatitis A and B(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/vaccinationshepab/
- Frequently Asked Questions about Hepatitis A(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/A/aFAQ.htm
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Hepatitis A(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Hepatitis+A%22
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Proceedings of the first global meeting on hepatitis A virus... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19115479&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Effects of a nurse-managed program on hepatitis A and B... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19092551&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Short report: elevated levels of alanine aminotransferase and hepatitis A... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19052315&tool=MedlinePlus
- Hepatitis A -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=hepatitis+a[majr]+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - http://www.cdc.gov/
Also available in Spanish http://www.cdc.gov/spanish/
- Hepatitis Foundation International - http://www.hepfi.org/
- Immunization Action Coalition - http://www.immunize.org/
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National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases - http://www.niddk.nih.gov/
- Hepatitis A Prevention Mandates(Immunization Action Coalition) - http://www.immunize.org/laws/hepa.asp
- FASTATS: Viral Hepatitis(National Center for Health Statistics) - http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/hepatits.htm
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Hepatitis(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/kid/health_problems/infection/hepatitis.html
Also available in Spanish http://kidshealth.org/kid/en_espanol/comunes/hepatitis_esp.html
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Protect Yourself against Hepatitis A and B: A Guide for Gay and Bisexual Men(Immunization Action Coalition) - http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4115.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4115-01.pdf
- Hepatitis - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/hepatitis.html
- Hepatitis B - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/hepatitisb.html
- Hepatitis C - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/hepatitisc.html
- Digestive System - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/digestivesystem.html
- Infections - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/infections.html
The primary NIH organization for research on Hepatitis A is the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases - http://www.niddk.nih.gov/
Hepatitis A - Multiple Languages - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/languages/hepatitisa.html