Hepatitis A

Hepatitis A  is a virus that infects the liver. Generally, it causes mild discomfort and occasionally can lead to complications. Hepatitis A has been increasingly affecting men who have sex with men across Europe, including Ireland.

Sexually acquired Hepatitis A is acquired by rimming and/or swallowing something that has been infected with faeces (poo).

Most people notice no hepatitis symptoms at all especially in the early stages.

Symptoms of hep A  range from mild to severe, and can include fever, tiredness, loss of appetite, diarrhoea, nausea, abdominal discomfort, dark-coloured urine, pale faeces (poo) and jaundice (a yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes). Hepatitis A symptoms can take some weeks to appear after you have picked up the infection.

Testing for hepatitis A involves a blood test that looks for your body’s reaction to the infections (antibodies).

Treatment for HAV usually involves making sure that you are not dehydrated and your blood salts are okay, sometimes this involves having a drip of fluids into your vein in hospital. There is no specific treatment for HAV and it usually clears on its own.

Unlike hepatitis B and C, hepatitis A infection does not lead to long term liver problems and is rarely fatal. It can cause debilitating symptoms and very occasionally acute liver failure, which can be fatal.

Both hepatitis  A and hepatitis B can be prevented with vaccination. The Hep A & B vaccines are freely available in sexual health services. Most centres use a combined vaccine given as three doses which protects you against both. Learn more about the vaccines at man2man.ie/vaccines.