Acute Hepatitis E in a Young Male

• Published in: Curēus (Palo Alto, CA) Vol. 11; no. 8
• Main Authors: Malghani, Waseem Sarwar, Jan, Waseem, Tameez Ud Din, Asim, Raza, Ali, Chaudhary, Farooq Mohyud Din
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Palo Alto Cureus Inc 18-08-2019; Cureus
• Subjects: Abdomen; Case reports; Developing countries; Drinking water; Enzymes; Gastroenterology; Hemoglobin; Hepatitis; Hospitals; Immunoglobulins; Infections; Infectious Disease; Laboratories; LDCs; Liver; Patients; Public Health; Rawalpindi Pakistan; Pakistan
• ISSN: 2168-8184; 2168-8184
• DOI: 10.7759/cureus.5414

Hepatitis E (Hep E) is a type of liver disease caused by hepatitis E virus (HEV), which is a single-stranded ribonucleic acid (RNA) virus. This mainly spreads through the intake of contaminated food and water. Here we present a case of a 30-year-old male with complaints of dark-colored urine and yellow discoloration of eyes (jaundice) for the past few days. He also had associated mild abdominal pain, nausea, and loss of appetite. On further inquiry, he pointed out that his drinking water was from an unfiltered source, and had unsatisfactory sanitary conditions at home. On physical examination, he was deeply jaundiced. His laboratory results showed deranged liver function tests (LFTs) and positive serology for HEV. He was managed conservatively and was discharged after improvement in his condition. On follow-up after one month, complete normalization of liver enzymes and symptoms was seen. This case report highlights the significance of better sanitation and personal hygienic habits in the prevention of HEV infection.