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Hepatitis A
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Hepatitis A is a form of acute hepatitis, meaning a recent-onset inflammation of the liver, and it is caused by hepatitis A virus. It spreads mainly by the fecal-oral route: the virus leaves one person in the stool and reaches another person's mouth.
Once inside, the virus makes a round trip. From the digestive tract it passes into the blood and travels through the portal circulation, which works like a direct highway from the intestine to the liver. That is how it reaches hepatocytes, the liver cells, where it multiplies. Then it leaves with the bile, the fluid the liver releases into the intestine, and ends up in the stool.
The interesting part involves the immune system. T lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell in the immune system, appear to be key to clearing the virus, and they might also be the ones that injure liver cells. And unlike hepatitis B and C, hepatitis A does not cause chronic liver disease.
In brief
Hepatitis A is the acute hepatitis caused by hepatitis A virus, which spreads mainly by the fecal-oral route.
From the digestive tract it enters the blood, reaches hepatocytes through the portal circulation, replicates, and leaves with bile in the stool.
It is a round trip: it reaches the liver through the blood and returns with the bile.
T lymphocytes appear to be key to clearing it and might cause liver damage; unlike hepatitis B and C, it does not cause chronic liver disease.
Sources (1)
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, StatPearls PublishingHepatitis A, StatPearlsPublished
This page explains the topic in general terms; it does not tell anyone what treatment to follow.
Updated