THE WORLD Madrid

Madrid

Updated Wednesday, March 6, 2024-10:13

The community portal RASFF (Rapid Alert System Feed and Food) has warned of the "

presence of hepatitis A in strawberries from Morocco

" detected at some entry points of this product in Spain.

What is hepatitis A

Hepatitis A is an acute liver infection caused by the hepatitis A virus (HAV).

Anyone who has not previously been infected or who has not been vaccinated is at risk of contracting the disease, which can appear in isolation or in the form of epidemic outbreaks.

How it is transmitted

HAV is transmitted through the fecal-oral route, either through person-to-person contact or by putting things or food in the mouth that, although they may appear clean, have been contaminated with feces from a person infected with HAV.

Raw or steamed shellfish are a common source of transmission

.

Person-to-person contagion occurs mainly in children and adults with insufficient hygiene habits.

When contagion is through food, it can lead to epidemic outbreaks.

It is estimated that more than 50% of the population over 40 years of age has IgG antibodies against HAV.

To know more

Consumption.

Health alert due to the presence of hepatitis A in strawberries from Morocco

  • Editor: DAVID VIGARIO Mérida

Health alert due to the presence of hepatitis A in strawberries from Morocco

Signs and symptoms of hepatitis A

The clinical course of infection consists of four periods: incubation, prodromes, state and convalescence.

The

incubation period

is the time between exposure to the virus and the appearance of the first symptoms.

In hepatitis A it ranges between 15 and 50 days.

The

prodromal period

includes the time in which symptoms arise before jaundice or yellowing of the skin.

It generally lasts three to five days, but it can last several weeks or even not be present, depending on the case.

The affected person usually feels tired, without hunger, with loss of smell.

Sometimes there is nausea and vomiting.

Many individuals feel pain on the right side of the abdomen, with a feeling that the belly has swollen, and others have diarrhea.

Sometimes there is also a headache and even hives.

The fever can reach 39ºC, without chills, which only lasts one or two days.

The diagnosis is rarely suspected until the patient begins to have a change in urine color, which becomes dark, resembling cognac, while the stool becomes lighter.

Some people with hepatitis A virus infection may have no signs or symptoms of the disease, which is called 'asymptomatic infection.'

It can also go unnoticed if you have very mild symptoms.

Older people are at greater risk of developing symptoms than children.

When the skin turns yellow, the patient, paradoxically, usually feels better, since most of the symptoms present during the prodromal period can disappear.

However, the fatigue remains.

The intensity of jaundice is variable and can range from a slight yellowing of the eyes to an intense greenish-yellow color of the skin and mucous membranes.

Jaundice lasts between two and six weeks

.

During this time the patient usually loses weight, even those who retain their appetite.

When the affected person begins to lose the yellow color, a recovery of the feeling of well-being and appetite is observed, as well as a normalization of the color of urine and feces.

The

convalescence period

begins with the disappearance of jaundice.

Often the patient is even more tired than usual.

If symptoms are present, they usually occur suddenly and may include fever, tiredness, loss of appetite, nausea, abdominal discomfort, dark urine, and jaundice (yellow skin and eyes).

Symptoms usually last less than two months.

In a few people the disease lasts up to 6 months.

The most feared complication of viral hepatitis is fulminant hepatitis.

It can occur in up to 1% of adults who have hepatitis A. Some individuals have serious symptoms from the beginning of the condition, but in others it begins as a common hepatitis, so that jaundice and general malaise increase with age. days, instead of improving.

Vomiting and obtundation then appear.

Blood tests show how coagulation is greatly altered, which leads to a risk of bleeding.

The mortality rate of this complication can reach 70% and sometimes the only solution is a transplant.

Diagnosis

The diagnosis of hepatitis A is established by the patient's symptoms, clinical history, laboratory abnormalities, and is confirmed with the results of blood tests.

A blood test (IgM anti-HAV) is necessary to diagnose hepatitis A. It should be taken into account that the result of these antibodies can be positive up to 12 months after having had hepatitis A.

Long-term effects

There is no chronic (long-term) infection, meaning that patients who overcome the acute illness do not have its sequelae.

Also, once you have been infected with hepatitis A you cannot get it again.

There are no chronic carriers of the disease, meaning it is only transmitted from people with acute, symptomatic or asymptomatic infection.