Hepatitis A, B and C
Hepatitis is a term used for inflammation in the liver caused by infection, mostly by viruses. When children get viral hepatitis, their immune systems often fight the disease and they mostly recover without treatment.
For some children, viral hepatitis becomes a chronic condition. If your child develops chronic hepatitis, your Pediatric Gastroenterologist at Orlando Health Children's Arnold Palmer Hospital Center for Digestive Health and Nutrition can prescribe medicines to fight the virus and advise you on how to ease the symptoms.
Hepatitis A in Children
Hepatitis A is the most common type of hepatitis in children. It spreads when children come in contact with food or water contaminated with the stool of an infected person. This can happen if a person with hepatitis A doesn’t wash their hands after using the bathroom and then picks up the child or prepares food for them. Foods such as fruits, vegetables and shellfish are sometimes contaminated with the hepatitis A virus.
Hepatitis B in Children
The hepatitis B virus is found in blood, tears, saliva and other bodily fluids, but not in the stool. Children can get hepatitis B if these fluids get into a break in their skin or into their eyes or mouth, such as from sharing a toothbrush. Babies can get this illness from their mothers during birth.
Hepatitis C in Children
The hepatitis C virus is spread through contact with the blood of an infected person. This can happen when a baby is born to a mother who has hepatitis C. Older children, adolescents and teens can become infected if they get a tattoo with a contaminated needle or otherwise come in contact with blood with the hepatitis C virus.
Symptoms
What Are the Symptoms of Hepatitis A?
Most children with hepatitis A are asymptomatic. When symptoms do occur, they begin about two to six weeks after the child becomes infected with the virus.
The most common symptoms of hepatitis A in children are flu-like and can include, but are not limited to:
Fatigue
Loss of appetite
Dark urine
Nausea and vomiting
Fever
Pale stools
Abdominal pain
Jaundice (yellow skin and eyes)
Hepatitis A does not become a chronic illness. However, in rare cases, children with this condition can develop liver damage or liver cirrhosis. Call your pediatric gastroenterologist if your child has swelling in their arms, hands, feet, stomach or face. Also call if you see blood in your child’s stools.
What Are the Symptoms of Hepatitis B?
Most children with hepatitis B don’t have symptoms, especially if they are younger than 5 years of age. Older children may have any of the following symptoms:
Loss of appetite
Fatigue
Fever
Muscle and joint pain
Jaundice (yellowed skin and eyes)
Dark urine
Nausea and vomiting
Children with these symptoms should see a pediatric gastroenterologist to check for hepatitis B. While this illness is often acute and goes away on its own in a few weeks to six months, it can sometimes become chronic, or long-term. This is more common among children who get hepatitis B as newborns or as young children. Chronic hepatitis B needs to be treated in order to prevent liver damage in adulthood, such as cirrhosis or liver cancer.
What Are the Symptoms of Hepatitis C?
Most children with hepatitis C don’t have symptoms early in the illness. With acute hepatitis C, the child’s body fights off the infection, and it resolves in a few weeks to six months. If hepatitis C becomes chronic, it can lead to liver disease later in life.
Symptoms of hepatitis C include:
Abdominal pain
Dark urine
Fatigue
Fever
Loss of appetite
Nausea and vomiting
Jaundice (yellowed skin and eyes)
Pale stools
Diagnosis
How Do Doctors Diagnose Hepatitis A?
If your child has symptoms of hepatitis A, your pediatric gastroenterologist at Orlando Health Children's Arnold Palmer Hospital Center for Digestive Health and Nutrition will do a physical exam and check for pain and swelling near their liver. They also will do a blood test that can identify markers for hepatitis A, such as elevated liver enzymes.
How Do Doctors Diagnose Hepatitis B?
Your pediatric gastroenterologist at Orlando Health Children's Arnold Palmer Hospital Center for Digestive Health and Nutrition will give your child a physical exam and do blood tests that check for hepatitis B markers. These markers can show whether your child has an acute or chronic infection and provide other information.
How Do Doctors Diagnose Hepatitis C?
If your child has symptoms of hepatitis C, your pediatric gastroenterologist at Orlando Health Children's Arnold Palmer Hospital Center for Digestive Health and Nutrition will do a physical exam and blood tests to check for markers for this illness. Babies who were born to mothers with hepatitis C should be tested at about 18 months of age, when the test will be more accurate. Your doctor also may do tests to find out if your child’s liver has been damaged.
Treatments
What Are the Treatments for Hepatitis A?
There are no medicines to treat hepatitis A, and most children with this condition get better on their own. You can help your child feel better as they recover by making sure they get plenty of fluids and rest. Do not give your child acetaminophen, since it can cause further injury to the liver.
Children should be vaccinated against hepatitis A between their first and second birthdays. It’s also important to teach your child to wash their hands often.
What Are the Treatments for Hepatitis B?
Several antiviral medicines can treat chronic hepatitis B infections. To help your child avoid this illness, have them vaccinated. Your doctor can tell you the best age for your child to get this vaccination.
What Are the Treatments for Hepatitis C?
Children with chronic hepatitis C need to be treated to help them avoid cirrhosis or liver cancer as adults. Medications for Hepatitis C may be prescribed for children 14 years-old and older. Depending on the symptoms and lab findings, children under 3 years of age may be enrolled in a clinical trial. Your doctor will recommend the treatment that will work best for your child. There is no vaccination for hepatitis C.
Next Steps
While many children recover on their own from a viral hepatitis infection, for others it can lead to lifelong problems. The doctors and nurses at Orlando Health Children's Arnold Palmer Hospital Center for Digestive Health and Nutrition are committed to providing the highest level of care for all children with this illness. Our specialists combine their skills to help your child have the best recovery possible.
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