Hepatitis A test: serum IgM antibodies to HAV
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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Antibodies of IgM class to HAV in serum are normally absent.
Viral hepatitis A ( Hepatitis A ) is an acute viral infection. The causative agent is the hepatitis A virus (HAV). The HAV genome is represented by a single-stranded RNA. The viral hepatitis A virus contains a single antigen (HAV-Ag). The specific weight of viral hepatitis A in the total incidence of viral hepatitis is 70-80%. In the structure of the incidence of viral hepatitis A, children constitute up to 80%, with the bulk - preschool children and primary school children.
Reliable confirmation of the diagnosis of viral hepatitis A is performed by serological methods - detection of an increase in the level of specific antibodies (anti-HAV) belonging to IgM (anti-HAV IgM). In viral hepatitis A, the rise in antibody titre attributable to IgM begins as early as in the incubation period, 5-10 days before the onset of the first symptoms of the disease, and progresses rapidly. By the time of the patient's initial contact with a doctor, the level of anti-HAV IgM has been able to reach high enough to be detected by the ELISA method. It is generally accepted that anti-HAV IgM in patients appear at the onset of clinical manifestations of the disease and persist up to 6 months after the infection. A year after the infection, anti-HAV IgM is not detected in the blood.
Determination of anti-HAV IgM is the main test for the specific diagnosis of viral hepatitis A.
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