An anxious 34-year-old nurse currently employed at the local hospital comes into the office with com-plaints of fatigue, stomach pain, and vomiting. While talking with the patient, you notice a yellowish color to her skin and eyes. The patient confides in you that the required vaccination for her job description was never administered. She also tells you that she had a needlestick injury a few weeks ago that she did not report. The physician diagnoses the patient with hepatitis. As you read this chapter, consider the following questions:

1			What type of hepatitis does this patient probably have?
2			What are two medical terms for the yellowish discoloration you observed?
3			How long might the patient expect to suffer from the symptoms of the acute phase of the illness?
4			Could this disease have been prevented? If so, how?