Usually the illness will last a few weeks or months and you will be infectious to others for 3 weeks or longer, as long as the virus is present. Supportive treatment is a high calorie diet, tolerated best in the morning. Avoidance of alcohol is important. Remember sexual activity can spread the disease for 3 to 5 weeks. If you have hepatitis A or E, you should not prepare food because the virus is in the stool and contaminates your hands.
Specific treatment can be immunologic or by antiviral compounds.
This is a beginning. About eight antiviral drugs have been tried in hepatitis, but, although they kill the virus in the test tube, they are unacceptable because of severe side effects. Stay in bed when you feel sick, but get up as you begin to feel well again and increase exercise as tolerated. All rights reserved.