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Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
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Coping and support
By Mayo Clinic staffIf you've been diagnosed with hepatitis A, you may be afraid of what it means for your health and worried that you might pass the virus to others. To help you cope, consider trying to:
- Learn about hepatitis A. Finding out more about hepatitis A can help put your fears to rest. For most people, hepatitis A goes away on its own and doesn't cause other health problems, unlike other forms of viral hepatitis. Ask your doctor about good sources of information to learn more about hepatitis A. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is a good place to start.
- Expect to need time off from work or school. Most people will need several days off work or school to recover from hepatitis A. Though the infection usually isn't serious, it can leave you feeling too sick and run-down to go to work.
- Take care of yourself. Help your body recover from hepatitis A by making healthy choices every day. For instance, choose a healthy diet full of fruits and vegetables. Try to exercise most days of the week. Get enough sleep so that you wake feeling rested.
- Let others know it's OK to be near you. You can't spread the hepatitis A virus by sneezing, coughing, hugging or sitting next to someone. If your friends or family are afraid of becoming infected with hepatitis A, let them know you'll do everything you can to protect them. For instance, you'll use your own hand towel after washing your hands and thoroughly wash your own dishes. But they don't have to fear being near you.
References
- FAQs for the public. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/A/aFAQ.htm. Accessed July 24, 2009.
- Hepatitis A. American Liver Foundation. http://www.liverfoundation.org/education/info/hepatitisa. Accessed July 24, 2009.
- What I need to know about hepatitis A. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/hepa_ez/index.htm. Accessed July 24, 2009.
- Sjogren MH. Hepatitis A. In: Feldman M, et al. Sleisenger & Fordtran's Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease: Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, Management. 8th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2006. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/151959187-3/0/1389/0.html. Accessed July 24, 2009.
- Fiore AE, et al. Prevention of hepatitis A through active or passive immunization: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). MMWR Recommendations and Reports. 2006;55:1. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5507a1.htm. Accessed July 28, 2009.
- Novak R, et al. Update: Prevention of hepatitis A after exposure to hepatitis A virus and in international travelers. Updated recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). MMWR Weekly. 2007;56:1080. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5641a3.htm. Accessed July 28, 2009.
- Nguyen CT, et al. Hepatitis vaccination and prophylaxis. Clinics in Liver Disease. 2009;13:317.
- Milk thistle. National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. http://nccam.nih.gov/health/milkthistle/ataglance.htm. Accessed July 29, 2009.
