Definitions for "Hepatitis E"
Keywords:  hev, unclean, fecal, virus, acute
Also referred to as enterically transmitted non-A, non-B hepatitis, hepatitis E is caused by the waterborne hepatitis E virus (HEV). It occurs primarily in developing countries and rarely occurs in the United States. Exposure to HEV results in an acute infection much like hepatitis A, but does not cause chronic infection. In pregnant women, however, it may be severe and sometimes even fatal. Hepatitis E is spread by solid human waste (fecal) contamination in water.
virus spread mostly through unclean water. This type of hepatitis is common in developing countries and has not occurred in the United States.
Hepatitis E, whose symptoms and methods of transmission resemble hepatitis A, is caused by a virus commonly found in the Indian Ocean region, Africa, and in underdeveloped countries. The symptoms of hepatitis E are like those of hepatitis A, although the period of illness may be as long as several months. Hepatitis E is rarely, if ever, responsible for cases of chronic hepatitis.