Jaundice (hepatitis A). Description of the disease

Before you begin the description of the pathology, it should be clarified: Botkin's disease (jaundice) - what is hepatitis? Doctors refer it to type A. This condition is widespread everywhere. The disease is distributed unevenly across countries and continents or within a single state.

Causes of infection

The sources of infection are carriers of all forms of acute infectious processes. The main epidemiological danger is represented by patients with asymptomatic and jaundiced forms. In the second half of the incubation period , the excretion of the causative agent begins with the caloric masses. Viralemia is of a short-term nature. The maximum probability of infection is noted in the last ten days of incubation and during the pre-zheltushnogo period. After the manifestation of the symptoms of pathology, the frequency of detection in the feces of the antigen of the virus is sharply reduced. Jaundice (hepatitis A) is characterized by seasonal development. The highest epidemiological risk in autumn and winter. As a rule, the increase in morbidity is observed from July to August, reaching a gradually high from October to November. In the first half of the coming year, the incidence is declining.

How does the infection occur?

The causative agent of pathology is transmitted by fecal-oral, in some cases - by a contact-household method. The virus penetrates the body of people when they use infected food and water. The infecting dose is of the order of 100-1000 particles. In practice, cases of parenteral infection have been described. Most often it was noted with blood transfusion or its components. Children have a high enough susceptibility to the virus. Jaundice (hepatitis A) is also very common in organized groups. After the transferred disease, a persistent, prolonged, and in some cases lifelong immunity is produced. Clinical forms of pathology form a more stable defense than the asymptomatic.

Mechanism of disease development

Jaundice (hepatitis A) of the acute course develops when affected by hepatotoxic factors or when infection occurs in liver cells. Pathogenesis is caused by the formation of an autoimmune reaction - the production of antibodies in the body to its own tissues. In these processes, inflammation, damage and destruction of hepatocytes, a violation of the liver. The chronic course of the disease occurs when the acute state is insufficiently cured or neglected. Often the disease passes into cirrhosis.

Symptoms

Jaundice (hepatitis A) in mild form often occurs without any manifestations and in many cases is not diagnosed. The process can become chronic if it is not detected during preventive examinations. Pathology can be accompanied by itchy skin, the appearance of red dots on the skin (petechia), neurotic manifestations, bradycardia. In chronic course, the disease has such symptoms as fatigue, weakness, sleep disorders, mental lability, headaches. In some cases, there is nausea, vomiting reflexes, unpleasant taste in the mouth, upset stomach, constipation.

How to treat jaundice?

Therapy of acute conditions is carried out under stationary conditions. The patient, in addition to conservative treatment, is assigned a special diet. In severe cases, the patient is transferred to bed rest. As a treatment, detoxification infusions are used to compensate for the lost hepatic function. Therapy includes the use of hepatoprotectors, which are prescribed by a doctor.