Signs and symptoms

First symptoms are fever, malaise (body discomfort), headache, and sometimes signs of a common cold. The key symptoms are a marked loss of appetite (often with nausea, vomiting, and upper abdominal pain) and the onset of jaundice (yellowed skin, yellowed whites of eyes, dark amber urine, and light-colored stools).

Jaundice lasts two to four weeks, followed by one to two months of diminishing fatigue. The liver often is enlarged and tender. Specific diagnosis (A type or  type) depends upon blood tests and must be made by a doctor.

Home care

If symptoms of hepatitis appear, isolate your child from friends, school, or work to lessen the chance of spreading the disease. Then call your doctor. Hepatitis must be diagnosed and treated by a doctor. Your doctor will give you specific instructions for caring for the child at home and will probably recommend rest, liquids, and a low-fat diet that is easy to digest.

Precautions

• If your child is exposed to hepatitis, call your doctor. The child and other family members should be given preventive gamma globulin or hepatitis  immune globulin injections as soon after exposure as is practical and before symptoms appear.

• If you are caring for a child with hepatitis B, remember that this form is now known to be contagious (contrary to past beliefs). Practice good hygiene, particularly careful hand washing, to avoid spreading the disease.

Medical treatment

Your doctor may hospitalize your child for treatment. Tests are also available to determine when hepatitis  is no longer contagious.

*107/84/5*