Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver and can occur in children. Parents need to be more vigilant in paying attention to their children's health and further recognize the symptoms of hepatitis in children and how to prevent it.
Hepatitis is a general term used to describe inflammation of the liver. Liver inflammation can be caused by several viruses (viral hepatitis), chemicals, drugs, alcohol, certain genetic disorders or by an overactive immune system that mistakenly attacks the liver, called autoimmune hepatitis. Depending on its course, hepatitis can be acute, which flares up suddenly and then goes away, or chronic, which is a long-term condition usually producing more subtle symptoms and progressive liver damage.
There are five viruses that cause the different forms of viral hepatitis:
- Hepatitis A: mostly a food-borne illness and can be spread through contaminated water and unwashed food. It is the easiest to transmit, especially in children, but is also the least likely to damage the liver and is usually mild and is completely resolved within six months.
- Hepatitis B: can be transmitted through exposure to contaminated blood, needles, syringes, or bodily fluids and from mother to baby. It is a chronic disorder and, in some cases, may lead to long-term liver damage, liver cancer and cirrhosis of the liver after many years of carrying the virus.
- Hepatitis C: only transmitted through infected blood or from mother to newborn during childbirth. It too can lead to liver cancer and cirrhosis in the long term.
- Hepatitis D: only found in people who are also infected with hepatitis B.
- Hepatitis E: This form of hepatitis is like hepatitis A. It is spread through fecal-oral contact. Predominantly found in Africa, Asia, and South America.
Parents must be aware and please contact the healthcare provider if your child has symptoms listed below:
- Jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes)
- Fever
- Fatigue
- Loss of appetite
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Abdominal pain
- Dark urine
- Light-colored stools
- Joint pain
Getting hepatitis A and hepatitis B vaccines, can help protect children against hepatitis virus. The hepatitis B vaccine (3-dose series) is given to infants at birth and twice again over the next several months. The Hepatitis B vaccine also protects against Hepatitis D, as you cannot develop hepatitis D unless a hepatitis B infection is present. The hepatitis A vaccine (2-dose series) is recommended for infants once they are 12 months old. The hepatitis A vaccine is especially important because there are areas of the country with high hepatitis A infection rates and for anyone traveling to areas where it spreads.
There are also several other precautions that can be taken, such as:
- Wash hands with soap and clean water for at least 20 seconds before eat, drink and when preparing food and drinks
- Do not share utensils or food, and avoid contaminated food and water
- Before traveling to other countries, ask pediatrician about the risk of hepatitis and what precautions to take. In some instances, pediatrician may recommend a hepatitis A vaccine before traveling
References:
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022). Children With Hepatitis of Unknown Cause
- HealthyChildren. (2022). How Do Children Get Hepatitis?
- John Hopkins Medicine. Hepatitis in Children.
