Hepatitis A

September 2007     View PDF     En español

What are the symptoms?

Symptoms may or may not appear in people who get HAV. Many think they have the flu. However, adults are more likely to have symptoms than children. If they do occur, symptoms may include fever, tiredness, headache, loss of appetite, body aches, nausea, stomach pain and diarrhea. More serious symptoms include dark urine, change in stool and yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice). Some people will have itchy skin, which can be treated with non-prescription medicines.

Most of the time, symptoms will last less than 2 months. Some people, about 15%, can be sick for up to 6–9 months. Once you fully recover from HAV, you will then have antibodies that will protect you for the rest of your life. From this point on, you cannot get HAV again and you won’t pass it on to others.

A very small number of people—most often older adults or those with long-term liver disease—rapidly develop severe liver failure when they get HAV. This is called fulminant hepatitis. Nearly 3 in 4 people with the condition recover without major treatment. However, some people may need a transplant to avoid liver failure and death.