Hepatitis A virus (HAV), IgM antibodies

Why this test?

For the diagnosis of hepatitis A - for early detection of infection (because Immunoglobulins M are the first to be produced by the body) and diagnosis of diseases with symptoms of acute hepatitis.

For diagnosing the asymptomatic course of hepatitis A.

In what cases is it prescribed?

With the following symptoms:

• Jaundice;
• Dark urine and / light stool;
• Loss of appetite;
• Fatigue;
• Nausea vomiting;
• Stomach ache;
• Fever;
• Joint pain.

If there are signs of bile stasis, accompanied by malaise and fever.

With a sudden increase in the level of liver enzymes: bilirubin, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase.

With recent contact with an infection, regardless of the patient's symptoms.

Test information

Hepatitis A is an infection affecting the liver. It is characterized by inflammation of the liver tissue and enlargement of the organ.

Hepatitis A is transmitted through food or water contaminated with the virus, or through contact with an infected person. It can occur in an acute form, it does not have a chronic form, as in other types of viral hepatitis.

In response to the introduction of the virus, the immune system produces antibodies. This test helps to detect antibodies to viral hepatitis A in the blood.

Although hepatitis can be caused by various factors, the signs and symptoms of the disease are always approximately the same. Liver tissue is damaged, after which it cannot function normally. Toxins and metabolic products, such as bilirubin and ammonia, which are poorly removed from the body without a cycle of reactions in the liver, cease to be processed. In addition, the concentration of bilirubin and liver enzymes in the blood may increase. Checking the level of bilirubin or liver enzymes can indicate hepatitis, but not what caused it, while the test for antibodies to viral hepatitis helps to determine the cause of the disease.

When the hepatitis A virus affects the body, the immune system will first produce class M immunoglobulins (IgM). They are usually produced 2-3 weeks after infection and persist for 2 to 6 months. Antibodies of class G that appear later usually persist for life. Since M immunoglobulins to the hepatitis A virus appear in the early stages of infection, their presence directly indicates the development of hepatitis, namely, a very recent infection with the hepatitis A virus. IgM begins to be determined in the blood 2 weeks after infection and disappears after 3 12 months.