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Medical Forum / General / General / December 2005Can one get hepatitus A from a surgery or procedure?
My wife got hepatitus A somehow. She doesn't do drugs, she hasn't had a blood transfusion, eaten shellfish, etc. Based on the incubation period of 2 weeks, she was in the hospital having her gall bladder removed. She also had a colonoscopy and endoscopy during that time. Could she haven't gotten it from improper sterilzation on any of those procedures? >My wife got hepatitus A somehow. She doesn't do drugs, she hasn't had >a blood transfusion, eaten shellfish, etc. [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >endoscopy during that time. Could she haven't gotten it from improper >sterilzation on any of those procedures? Hep A is mostly spread by contaminated food. People can shed virus for some time after they recover. We had a small outbreak here in Toronto that was traced back to a food handler in a supermarket deli, and a lot of effort was made to not only identify the carrier, but inform anyone who had purchased food there recently to contact their doctor. I'm surprised your public health people aren't all over this case right now. Hep A is not endemic in most developed countries, and such countries usually make a real effort to keep things that way. > My wife got hepatitus A somehow. She doesn't do drugs, she hasn't had > a blood transfusion, eaten shellfish, etc. [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > endoscopy during that time. Could she haven't gotten it from improper > sterilzation on any of those procedures? Hep A isn't transmitted by shared needles or by blood transfusions, and two weeks would be at the short end of the incubation period. Four weeks would be more typical. I suppose hep A could be transmitted by improper sterilization of endoscopy or colonoscopy equipment.  SignatureDavid Rind drind@caregroup.harvard.edu > My wife got hepatitus A somehow. She doesn't do drugs, she hasn't had > a blood transfusion, eaten shellfish, etc. [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > endoscopy during that time. Could she haven't gotten it from improper > sterilzation on any of those procedures? As has been noted, she probably picked it up before hospitalization. Hep A is urine-fecal-oral spread. Bad handwashing by people recovering, especially cooks and foodhandlers, and all that. But doorknobs and handshaking in theory are enough. Touch them, then your mouth, and off you go. There's a vaccine. I recommend it for everybody (especially you!). Hep A rarely kills and is never chronic, but it's a pain to get. As you know. SBH > There's a vaccine. I recommend it for everybody (especially you!). Hep > A rarely kills and is never chronic, but it's a pain to get. As you > know. I'd spring for the hep A-B shot. It only costs a few bucks more to get the combined vaccine. Most adults haven't been vaccinated for hep B unless they work in healthcare. > > My wife got hepatitus A somehow. She doesn't do drugs, she hasn't had > > a blood transfusion, eaten shellfish, etc. [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > A rarely kills and is never chronic, but it's a pain to get. As you > know. Why is it a pain? I don't even know when I had it. I thought it meant that I've previously had jaundice. My doctor told me the test (Hep A Antibody - IgG+IgM = "positive") just picks up on antibodies that say that I've had it (sometime in my lifetime) "Compatible with previous infection or immunization to Hepatitis A" (on the test result) So unless the OP's wife previously had a "negative" test result, it could have been anytime...or from immunization. J > > > My wife got hepatitus A somehow. She doesn't do drugs, she hasn't had > > > a blood transfusion, eaten shellfish, etc. [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > Why is it a pain? I don't even know when I had it. I thought it meant that > I've previously had jaundice. Most people can be asymptomatic and others can get the classic hepatitis symptoms and a few can die. http://www.annals.org/cgi/content/full/129/6/507 > My doctor told me the test (Hep A Antibody - IgG+IgM = "positive") just > picks up on antibodies that say that I've had it (sometime in my lifetime) [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > have been anytime...or from immunization. > J I don't know when you had this discussion with your doctor but recent IgM tests for HAV is common today compared to several years ago. It indicates recent infection. > "J" <studydras@anon.inv> wrote in message > > Why is it a pain? I don't even know when I had it. I thought it meant that [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > tests for HAV is common today compared to several years ago. It indicates > recent infection. April/99 the receptionist (nurse?) called and said I'd been infected with Hep A. The doctor had run a big blood panel. The Hep A was positive and MCH slightly high. Everything else was in the normal range or negative. (I'm pretty sure the infection occurred late Nov/98) so I called my "contacts" to warn them. I was sick from sometime late January 99 (multiple symptoms) until July or August/99, but based on what you say and what else I know, I had 2 infections at the same time. Then next appointment (late April or early May), I was telling the doctor my symptoms and signs and she laughed at me and told me exactly what I posted above, so I assumed I'd maybe had immunization many years prior. (the part in quotes is what the labwork says). So I called my contacts (again) and told them there was no problem, not to worry. I'm done with her anyway, because during that same time she denied me a urinalysis and I had the worst infection I've ever had in my life and was on antibiotics until Dec99 or Jan/00 for the other infection. Can it be transmitted by sharing drinking glasses? I sure hope I didn't infect the parents of some babies or the babies. Can there be longer lasting effects? Fat absorption? My liver was sore on palpation (by new doctor) many months later and I had no idea why. Thanks, J > > I don't know when you had this discussion with your doctor but recent IgM > > tests for HAV is common today compared to several years ago. It indicates > > recent infection. > > April/99 the receptionist (nurse?) called and said I'd been infected with Hep A. If the total HAV test was done then as you stated above they can't really tell if it is acute or not. Only when the IgM test is done can they tell. > The doctor had run a big blood panel. The Hep A was positive and MCH slightly > high. > Everything else was in the normal range or negative. Including the liver enzymes? Although some people use the liver enzymes for screening purposes I have seen normal enzymes with positive viral antigens indicating carrier states with HBV. > (I'm pretty sure the infection occurred late Nov/98) so I called my "contacts" > to warn them. > > I was sick from sometime late January 99 (multiple symptoms) until July or > August/99, but based on what you say and what else I know, I had 2 infections at > the same time. Don't know what you mean by two infections. Hepatitis B and HAV coinfection can be lethal as I posted above. Immunity to HAV is confered upon infection afterwards. > Then next appointment (late April or early May), I was telling the doctor my > symptoms and signs and she laughed at me and told me exactly what I posted [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > antibiotics until Dec99 or Jan/00 for the other infection. > Can it be transmitted by sharing drinking glasses? Fecal oral route for HAV in which people don't wash hands after they go to the bathroom and get sh.t on their food and objects which can then be transmitted by oral route. I sure hope I didn't infect > the parents of some babies or the babies. > Can there be longer lasting effects? Fat absorption? Not with HAV although certainly with other hepatitis. It is unclear as to what happened in your case. > My liver was sore on palpation (by new doctor) many months later and I had no > idea why. > Thanks, > J |
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