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Hepatitis E

> Hepatitis E is a liver disease (liver inflammation) caused by infection with a virus    called hepatitis E virus (HEV).
> It is an acute and self-limited disease.
> It causes rampant sporadic infections and large epidemics.
> Highest attack rate among persons aged 15-40 years.
Sign and symptoms-
      Jaundice
      Fatigue
      Abdominal pain
      Loss of appetite (anorexia)
      Nausea, Vomiting
      Dark (tea colored) urine
      An enlarged, tender liver (hepatomegaly)
      Excessive tiredness
      Diarrhea
      A low-grade fever
      Muscle pain
      Joint pain
      A sore throat
      Pale-colored stool
      Stomach pain on the right side.
Causes/Transmission-
> HEV is transmitted via the faecal-oral route.
> HEV is found in the stool (feces) of persons and animals with hepatitis E.
> HEV is spread by eating or drinking contaminated food or water.
> Transmission from person to person occurs less commonly than with hepatitis A virus
> Consumption of faecally contaminated drinking water.
> The ingestion of raw or uncooked shellfish has been the source of sporadic cases in    endemic areas.
> There is a possibility of zoonotic spread of the virus, since several non-human    primates, pigs,cows, sheep, goats and rodents are susceptible to infection.
Diagnosis-
> Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is considered an agent responsible for acute hepatitis that    does not progress to chronic hepatitis.
> HEV can be found by microscopically examining a stool sample, but this is not a    reliable test, as the virus often dies when stored for a short time.
> Since cases of hepatitis E are not clinically distinguishable from other types of acute    viral hepatitis, diagnosis is made by blood tests which detect elevated antibody levels    of specific antibodies to hepatitis E in the body or by reverse transcriptase    polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).
> Blood tests can determine elevated antibody levels, which indicate the presence of    HEV virus in the body.
> If laboratory tests are not available, epidemiologic evidence can help in establishing a    diagnosis.
Treatment-
> There are no specific medicines that can cure hepatitis E.
> Therefore, treatment of hepatitis E is focused on dealing with any symptoms or    complications that may occur.
> This is known as supportive care.
> Hepatitis E is a "self-limiting" disease, in that it usually goes away by itself and the    patient recovers even without specialized treatment for acute hepatitis E, within a    few weeks.
> Following are some key steps to take as part of hepatitis E treatment:
> Get enough calories.
> Get plenty of rest.
> Drink plenty of fluids.
> Avoid medicines that can harm the liver.
> Avoid alcohol.
> Exercise regularly.