Table of Contents
- Highlights
- Introduction
- Risk Factors and Transmission
- Prevention
- Prognosis
- Symptoms
- Diagnosis
- Treatment
- Medications
- Resources
- References
People at high risk for hepatitis A infection include:
- International travelers. Hepatitis A is the hepatitis strain people are most likely to encounter in the course of international travel to developing countries.
- Day care employees and children. Many cases of hepatitis A occur among day care employees and children who attend day care. Risks can be reduced if hygienic precautions are used, particularly when changing and handling diapers.
- People living in a household with someone who has hepatitis A
- Men who have sex with men
- Users of illegal drugs
Hepatitis B
The hepatitis B virus is transmitted through blood, semen, and vaginal secretions. Situations that can cause hepatitis B transmission include:
- Sexual contact with an infected person (using a condom can help reduce risk)
- Sharing needles and drug injection equipment
- Sharing personal items, (such as toothbrushes, razors, and nail clippers), with an infected person
- Having direct contact with blood of an infected person, through touching open wounds or needlesticks
- During delivery, an infected mother can transmit the hepatitis B virus to her baby.
The CDC recommends routine testing for chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection for the following high risk groups:
- People born in regions with high rates of hepatitis B infection. Hepatitis B is very common in Asian and Pacific Island countries. In the United States, 1 in 10 Asian Americans are chronically infected with the hepatitis B virus. Other regions with high rates of HBV prevalence include Africa, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, South and Central America, and the Caribbean. US-born people not vaccinated as infants whose parents were born in these regions should also be screened for HBV.
- People who use injected drugs or who share needles
- Men who have sex with men
- People receiving chemotherapy or immunosuppressive therapy for certain medical conditions including cancer, organ transplantation, or rheumatologic or gastoenterologic disorders
- Donors of blood, organs, or semen
- Hemodialysis patients
- All pregnant women and infants born to mothers infected with HBV; pregnant women should be screened for HBV at their first neonatal visit
- People who have sex with an infected person or who live in a household with an infected person
- Health care workers and others exposed to blood products and needlestick devices.
- People infected with HIV
Other people at high risk for hepatitis B virus infection include:
Previous Section
Review Date: 09/29/2010
Reviewed By: Harvey Simon, MD, Editor-in-Chief, In-Depth Reports; Associate
Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Physician,
Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD,
MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)
