Nikki Sommer, a nurse with Key West Surgical Group, joined Good Morning Keys on Keys Talk 96.9/102.5FM this morning for Medical Matters.
Hepatitis A is a short term viral infection of the liver.
Sommer said, “The good news is, unlike Hepatitis B and C, it does not cause chronic liver disease, and most people recover quickly. It’s not as common here in the US, but it is common in other foreign countries. One of the biggest things to understand is the infection rates usually happen in areas where the drinking water is not clean. Sanitation is not a priority. Food handling is not handled properly. Hygiene practices, meaning washing your hands and the availability to vaccinate. There is a vaccination for hepatitis A, I believe they give it to children, and they offer it to adults. If you are going to travel to areas where there is a higher incidence of hepatitis A, due to areas where sanitation isn’t monitored closely, so parts of South America, Central America, Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe, these have significantly higher rates of hepatitis A due to the limited clean water supply and sanitation systems.”
How does it spread?
Sommer warned, “So this is kind of gross. It spreads through the fecal oral route, which means the virus gets into your mouth through contaminated food, contaminated water, shellfish harvested from polluted waters, food handled by someone infected who didn’t wash their hands. That means they’re infected. They wipe their butt. They didn’t wash their hands. They touched your food. That is gross. Close personal contact, someone in the household, or if you have intimate contact with somebody who has hepatitis A, increases your risk of contracting it. So we talk about tourism and seafood, being here in the Keys and actually in Florida in general. So just making sure where you’re eating. Pay attention to when they do those restaurant closures for uncleanliness. Be aware. When I was a kid, some restaurant. It was a restaurant chain in New York. They were always on the news, and they always had a hepatitis A outbreak when I was a child. I remember it. I don’t think they’re in business any longer, but it was, like, a restaurant popular in the city area, and it was kind of a chain, they were always on the news for hepatitis A.”
The symptoms of Hepatitis A can take some time to show up.
Sommer said, “So if you’re traveling, you might not know, a lot of times you don’t realize where you were, how you contracted it, but the symptoms might include fatigue, fever, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, belly pain or belly discomfort, dark urine, pale stools, and you can get jaundice. You can have yellowing of the skin or eyes. Children may have mild to no symptoms. Adults may tend to feel the illness more intensely.”
How long does Hepatitis A last?
Sommer said, “Most people can recover in a few weeks. Though people can feel fatigued for a couple of months. There’s no specific cure. So treatment is supportive, rest, fluids, a healthy diet. Avoid alcohol, because your liver is going through it, and avoid medications that stress the liver, like over the counter medications. Be careful, Tylenol is one, ibuprofen can be another. So just if, God forbid, you have Hepatitis A make sure that plenty of fluids, healthy diet, no alcohol and no medications that stress the liver. Severe complications are rare, but more likely in older adults or if you have a previous existing liver condition. So you know if you have a history of hepatitis B or C, if you have cirrhosis of the liver, and you get hepatitis A, it might affect you a little differently.”
How can you protect yourself?
Sommer said, “This was a learning for me today. I didn’t know this was an issue. So post exposure protection. There’s no treatment for it once you have it, but you have a 14 day window. So if you have come in contact with someone that has hepatitis A or you know you ate contaminated food, you have a 14 day window to protect yourself. You can get the vaccine, which is the most common treatment. It works well if you get it two weeks of exposure. So that’s something to keep in the back of your head. The vaccine is recommended for healthy adults and children. It helps the body quickly build protection. So just keep that in the back your mind. If you are aware that you were exposed to hepatitis A you can get the vaccine within that two week window. The other option is immunoglobulin, IG, this is a shot that contains instant antibodies and provides temporary protection. It can be recommended for infants under 12 months, if there was known exposure, adults over the age of 40, people who are immunocompromised, if they’re cancer patients or on medications that compromise their immune system, people with chronic liver disease. So again, you’re more susceptible to complications of hepatitis A if you have chronic liver disease. So immunoglobulin might be the treatment or choice for you. And then again, anybody who’s unable to receive the vaccine, this is also the treatment. In some cases, individuals might receive both, depending on their health and the discretion of their provider. So if you hear about an exposure at a restaurant, daycare, or somebody you know that you were intimate with, or even somebody that you live with and you know that has got diagnosed with hepatitis A reach out to your healthcare provider right away, see if you fall in that 14 day window to get one of those treatment options.”
Cleanliness is so important.
Sommer said, “Wash your hands thoroughly. Again, I would say washing your hands is key. Avoid raw, undercooked shellfish from questionable sources. Make sure you wash all your fruits and vegetables. Be mindful when traveling. Know the areas that you’re traveling to. If you know they have poor water supply, their sanitation isn’t good, it is good to get the vaccine before you go. Avoid sharing utensils, toothbrushes and razors during the illness, and obviously use clean water for cooking or drinking.”
For more information on how Key West Surgical Group can help, click here: https://www.keywestsurgicalgroup.com