Hepatitis Flashcards
Define acute viral hepatitis
Acute hepatitis caused by virus
Clinical features
- May be subclinical
- Flu-like prodrome preceeding icteric phase by 1-2 weeks nausea, vomiting, anorexia, taste/smell disturbance, headaches, fatigue, myalgia, low-grade fever arthralgia and urticaria (especially HBV)
- Pale stools, dark urine 1-5 days before jaundice
- Hepatomegaly, RUQ pain
- May have splenomegaly, cervical lymphadenopathy
Investigations
- AST and ALT (10-20X normal)
- ALP and bilirubin minimally elevated
- Viral serology
Management
- Supportive:
Hydration
Diet
Analgesia
- Avoid alcohol, drugs
Indications for admission
- Encephalopathy
- Coagulopathy
- Severe vomiting
- Hypoglycemia
Complications
- Hepatocellular necrosis (+LFTs)
- Cholestasis (pale stools, jaundice)
- Encephalopathy
- Coagulopathy
- Hypoglycemia
Prognostic indicators poor
- comorbidities
- persistently high bilirubin (>340 mmol; 20 mg/dL)
- increased INR
- decreased albumin
- hypoglycemia
- Cholestasis
In which viral hepatitis is cholestasis more common
Hepatitis A
Hepatitis A: type of virus, transmission, common age group, incubation
- RNA
- Fecal-oral
- Common in children, in adults more common to be fulminant disease
- Incubation 2-6 weeks
When does AST/ALT rise in hep A and return to normal
Rise within 1 month, returns to normal 5-20 weeks
Clinical features in hepatitis A
Key factors
- presence of risk factors
- fever
- malaise
- nausea and vomiting
- jaundice
- hepatomegaly
- RUQ pain
- clay-coloured stools
Investigations in hepatitis A and results
- 1st tests to order serum transaminases->elevated serum bilirubin->?elevated blood urea->+if renal failure serum creatinine->+if renal failure
- prothrombin time
- IgM anti-hepatitis A virus (HAV)->elevated in acute
Management hepatitis A unvaccinated people with recent exposure to hepatitis A
IM immunoglobulin for prevention
- Supportive
Analgesia
Fluids
Nutrition
- Avoid alcohol
Hepatitis B: virus type, transmission (4), incubation
- DNA
- Blood products, sexual, IVDU, vertical, direct
- 6 months
Risk factors for hepatitis B
Strong
- perinatal exposure in an infant born to an HBV-infected mother
- multiple sexual partners
- men who have sex with men (MSM)
- injection drug use
- Asian, eastern European, or African ancestry
- FHx of HBV and/or chronic liver disease
- FHx of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)
- household contact with HBV
Weak
- male sex history of STDs
- infected with HIV infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV)
- blood or blood product transfusion
- health care worker (HCW)
- history of incarceration haemodialysis
Interpreting hepatitis B serology for acute, chronic, resolved and immunised->HBsAg, Anti-HBS, HBeAg, Anti-HBe, Anti-HBc
Hepatitis B
Serology HBsAg Anti-HBs HBeAg Anti-HBe Anti-HBc Liver Enzymes
Acute HBV + – + – IgM
Chronic HBV (high HBV DNA) + – + – IgG ALT, AST elevated
Chronic HBV (low HBV DNA) + – – + IgG ALT, AST normal
Resolved infection – ± – ± IgG
Immunization – + – – –