Hepatitis is a general term that means inflammation of the liver. Inflammation of the liver can result from infection, from exposure to alcohol, certain medications, chemicals, or poisons, or from a disorder of the immune system.
Hepatitis A refers to liver inflammation caused by infection with the hepatitis A virus (HAV). HAV is one of several viruses that can cause hepatitis and is one of the 3 most common hepatitis viruses in the United States. The other 2 are hepatitis B and hepatitis C.
Unlike hepatitis B and hepatitis C, hepatitis A does not cause chronic (ongoing, long-term) disease. Although the liver does become inflamed and swollen, it heals completely in most people without any long-term damage. Once you have had hepatitis A, you develop lifelong immunity and cannot get the disease again.
Because of the way it is spread, the hepatitis A virus tends to occur in epidemics and outbreaks. As many as 1 in 3 people in the United States have antibody to HAV, meaning they have been exposed to the virus, but most do not become ill. The number of cases of hepatitis A in the United States varies among different communities and has not been affected significantly by the introduction of the hepatitis A vaccine since the early 1990s.
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