Answers
What are hepatitis A and E, and how long does the jaundice last?
Short answer
Hepatitis A and E are liver infections spread through contaminated water and food. They are the commonest cause of jaundice in India, especially in the monsoon. Most people recover fully in 4 to 8 weeks with rest and normal food. Hepatitis E can be dangerous in pregnancy, and confusion, bleeding or repeated vomiting need hospital care at once.
Symptoms
Children often have mild or no symptoms. Adults, especially older adults and people with existing liver disease, tend to be more unwell.
- A few days of fever, tiredness, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting
- Then yellow eyes and skin, dark urine and sometimes pale stools
- Pain or heaviness under the right ribs
- Itching in some people
How it is confirmed
Liver function tests show raised SGPT, SGOT and bilirubin. Blood tests for IgM anti-HAV (hepatitis A) and IgM anti-HEV (hepatitis E) confirm the cause. Clotting (INR) is checked to see how well the liver is working. An ultrasound rules out a blocked bile duct.
Treatment and recovery
Jaundice usually fades over 4 to 8 weeks. Liver tests can take a few months to become fully normal. A small number develop acute liver failure, which needs hospital care and sometimes a liver transplant.
- There is no specific medicine; the liver heals on its own in most people
- Rest as needed, normal home food, and plenty of safe fluids
- Avoid alcohol, unprescribed medicines, herbal remedies and painkillers in excess
Danger signs, pregnancy and prevention
Go to hospital straight away for confusion or unusual sleepiness, bleeding or bruising, vomiting that stops you keeping fluids down, or jaundice that keeps deepening after two weeks. Hepatitis E in the last three months of pregnancy can be severe: any pregnant woman with jaundice should see a doctor the same day.
- Drink boiled or filtered water, and avoid cut fruit, golgappe and street juices in the monsoon
- Wash hands with soap before eating and after the toilet
- Hepatitis A vaccine protects children and adults who are not immune; ask your doctor
- People with fatty liver, hepatitis B or C, or cirrhosis should ask about the hepatitis A vaccine
Diet during hepatitis A or E
Eat more
- Normal home food with enough calories: dal, rice, roti, khichdi, curd, fruits and vegetables
- Small meals every few hours when appetite is poor
- Plenty of boiled or filtered water, coconut water and ORS if vomiting
Cut down
- Alcohol, completely, until your doctor says the liver has recovered
- Street food, cut fruit, golgappe and juices from stalls
- Herbal 'jaundice cures' and unprescribed medicines
Good to know
- There is no need to avoid haldi, oil or salt used in normal cooking, or to eat only boiled food.
- Sugarcane juice does not cure jaundice, and unclean juice can spread infection.
Common questions
Can hepatitis A or E come back?
No. After recovery you are usually immune to that virus for life. You can still get the other one, or other liver infections.
When can I go back to work or school?
Usually when you feel well enough and the appetite returns, often after 2 to 3 weeks. Wash hands carefully, as the virus spreads through stool for a short time.
Is there a vaccine?
Yes, for hepatitis A, for children and adults who are not immune. There is no hepatitis E vaccine routinely available in India, so safe water and food are the protection.