Hepatitis A Virus: The Digestive System And The Gastrointestinal System

The Hepatitis A Virus affects many different systems within the body. The first being the digestive system and the gastrointestinal system because Hepatitis A causes an acute liver infection. The liver’s job is to process nutrients, filter the blood and toxin from your body, and fight infections. It produces important blood components, proteins, and bile which helps you digest food. The liver also stores glucose and vitamins. The Hepatitis A Virus causes inflammation that interrupts the liver’s ability to perform these vital functions. Having a healthy liver is crucial to your health because it supports many other body systems. For example, one function of the liver is to produce bile which is needed to break down fats. The body stores bile in the gallbladder and then sends it to the beginning section of the small intestine. Bile is then combined with other digestive

For example, those who travel to or live in countries where Hepatitis A is common, have sexual contact with someone who has Hepatitis A, men who have sexual encounters with other men, those who use recreation drugs, have clotting-factor disorders, or are household members or caregiver of someone who is infected with the virus. Other risk factors include intermediate and high endemicity areas include poor sanitation and regulations and lack of safe water. Also, residents from regions with low endemicity for the Hepatitis A Virus infection often remains susceptible in their adulthood. In areas where the virus is wide spread, most Hepatitis A infections occur during early childhood because children tend to ingest everything. As mentioned earlier, adults have signs and symptoms of illness more often than children. The severity of the disease and its fatal outcomes are higher in older age