Hepatitis E

Definition

According to The American Heritage Dictionaries, Hepatitis E is "a self-limited, acute infection of the liver caused by an RNA virus, having symptoms similar to those of hepatitis A and spread via contaminated drinking water and food". Just like hepatitis A virus, hepatitis E virus does not cause chronic persistent liver infection, but in some rare occasions can cause liver failure.

Incubation period and infectivity

The hepatitis E virus has an incubation period virus which ranges from 15 to 60 days (mean = 40 days). The highest point reached by the infectivity has no been determined, but it is known that the virus appears in stools one week before the clinical illness occur and it persists for 7 to 14 days after the onset of the clinical illness. During that period, the stools are highly infectious.

Although hepatitis E never becomes chronic, there are some rare occasions when the illness can cause liver failure, because it destroys too many liver cells. The condition - called fulminant liver failure - is affecting only o small part of the infected people (1-2%), but it could cause death.

Hepatitis E Hepatitis E Symptoms