Hepatitis A is a highly contagious liver infection caused by the hepatitis A virus. The virus is one of several types of hepatitis viruses that cause inflammation and affect your liver’s ability to function.
You’re most likely to get hepatitis A from contaminated food or water or from close contact with
a person or object that’s infected. Mild cases of hepatitis A don’t require treatment. Most people who are infected recover completely with no permanent liver damage.
Practicing good hygiene, including washing hands frequently, is one of the best ways to protect against hepatitis A. Vaccines are available for people most at risk.
Symptoms
Hepatitis A signs and symptoms typically don’t appear until you’ve had the virus for a few weeks. But not everyone with hepatitis A develops them. If you do, hepatitis signs and symptoms can include:
Fatigue
Sudden nausea and vomiting
Abdominal pain or discomfort, especially on the upper right side beneath your lower ribs (by your liver)
Clay-colored bowel movements
Loss of appetite
Low-grade fever
Dark urine
Joint pain
Yellowing of the skin and the whites of your eyes (jaundice)
Intense itching
These symptoms may be relatively mild and go away in a few weeks. Sometimes, however, hepatitis A infection results in a severe illness that lasts several months.
When to see a doctor
Make an appointment with your doctor if you have signs or symptoms of hepatitis A.
Getting a hepatitis A vaccine or an injection of immunoglobulin (an antibody) within two weeks of exposure to hepatitis A may protect you from infection. Ask your doctor or your local health department about receiving the hepatitis A vaccine if:
You’ve traveled out of the country recently, particularly to Mexico or South or Central America, or to areas with poor sanitation
A restaurant where you recently ate reports a hepatitis A outbreak
Someone close to you, such as a roommate or caregiver, is diagnosed with hepatitis A
You recently had sexual contact with someone who has hepatitis A
