User:Mr. Ibrahem/Hepatitis E
Medical condition / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hepatitis E is an infection of the liver by the hepatitis E virus (HEV); it is a type of viral hepatitis.[2][1] Symptoms may include tiredness, nausea, pain over the liver, dark urine, and yellowish skin; though many have no symptoms.[1] Onset of symptoms is generally 2 to 10 weeks after exposure and symptoms last 2 to 6 weeks.[2] Occasionally, in people with a weakened immune system, the infection does not resolve and may result in complications such as cirrhosis.[1] Severe infections, resulting in acute liver failure, may occur in pregnant women.[1]
Hepatitis E | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Hepatitis E virus | |
Specialty | Infectious disease, gastroenterology |
Symptoms | Tiredness, nausea, pain over liver, jaundice[1] |
Complications | Cirrhosis, acute liver failure[1] |
Usual onset | 2 to 10 wks after exposure[2] |
Duration | 2 to 6 wks[2] |
Causes | Hepatitis E virus (HEV)[1] |
Diagnostic method | Blood test[1] |
Differential diagnosis | Other types of viral hepatitis, leptospirosis, dengue, malaria[2][3] |
Prevention | Clean water, toilets, vaccination[2] |
Treatment | Symptomatic care, ribavirin (if chronic)[1] |
Frequency | 20 million cases per year[2] |
Deaths | 44,000 (2015)[2] |
Hepatitis E is mainly spread by drinking contaminated water; though it may also spread by eating under-cooked meat.[2][1] It does not typically spread directly between people.[1] The virus is a positive-sense, nonenveloped, single-stranded, RNA icosahedral.[3] Diagnosis can be by blood or stool tests.[1] The disease can be separated into 8 genotypes, of which 4 primarily cause disease in people.[4] Other types of viral hepatitis include A, B, C, D, and X.[5]
Prevention is by using clean water and appropriate toilets.[2] A vaccine (HEV 239) is available to prevent the disease in China.[2][6] Treatment is generally symptomatic care including rest and drinking sufficient fluids.[1] Ribavirin may be used for chronic cases.[1] In 2015 it results in about 44,000 deaths.[2] During the third trimester of pregnancy up to 25% of women may die.[2]
In 2017, hepatitis E was estimated to affect more than 19 million people.[7] It occurs more commonly in the developing world, particularly in Asia.[1][2] Males aged 15 to 30 are most commonly affected.[8] It may occur as an outbreak due to poor access to safe water.[2] Outbreaks of hepatitis E date back to at least 1955 in New Delhi.[9] The virus was isolated in 1983 by Russian scientists investigating an outbreak in Afghanistan.[8]