Hepatitis A
Hepatitis A
Hepatitis A is a liver infection spread through an infected person's stool. The risk of catching it in the UK is low.
It's usually not serious, and most people recover fully within a couple of months.
Common Symptoms
⚠️ This symptom list is for educational purposes. Having these symptoms does not mean you have this condition. See a doctor for proper diagnosis.
Medicines Commonly Used
⚠️ These medicines are commonly used for confirmed diagnoses of this condition. This is NOT a recommendation or prescription. Treatment must be determined by your doctor.
No medicines have been linked to this condition yet.
When to See a Doctor
Speak to your GP practice if:
- you think you may have been exposed to the hepatitis A virus. Emergency treatment can help prevent infection if it's given within a few days of exposure
- you have symptoms of hepatitis A
- you're at increased risk of hepatitis A
Diagnosis
A blood test can tell you whether you have hepatitis A. It can also rule out other conditions with similar symptoms, some of which may need treatment to avoid more serious problems.
Your friends, family and sexual partners may need to be tested as well.
Treatment
Treatments for hepatitis A
There’s currently no cure for hepatitis A. It will usually get better its own within a couple of months.
Once hepatitis A passes, you’ll normally be immune to it for life.
Things you can do yourself
There are things you can do to help your symptoms and prevent the infection spreading to others.
Do
- get plenty of rest
- take painkillers such as paracetamol or ibuprofen for any aches and pains – ask your GP for advice as you may need to take lower doses than normal or avoid certain medications until you’ve recovered
- have a cool, airy environment
- wear loose clothing
- eat smaller, lighter meals to help reduce feeling sick and vomiting
- wash your hands with soap and water regularly
- wash soiled laundry separately on a hot cycle
- clean the toilet, flush handles and taps more often than usual
Don’t
- do not drink alcohol
- do not have very hot baths or showers
- do not prepare food for other people, if you can avoid it
- do not share towels
- do not go to work or school until at least a week after your jaundice or other symptoms started
- do not have sex until at least a week after your jaundice or other symptoms started
Treatments from your doctor
Speak to your GP practice if your symptoms get worse or haven’t started to improve within a couple of months. They can prescribe medications to help with itchiness, nausea or vomiting, if needed.
Complications
Hepatitis A can sometimes drag on for many months before it fully clears up. In rare cases it becomes life-threatening if it leads to liver failure. People already living with other liver problems, along with elderly people, face the highest risk. When liver failure does happen, a liver transplant is usually needed to treat it.
How does hepatitis A spread?
Hepatitis A shows up most often in parts of the world where cleanliness and food hygiene standards are poor. You can pick up the infection by:
- drinking water that isn't clean
- eating food that has been washed or grown using unclean water
- eating food handled by someone who is infected
- being in close contact with someone who has hepatitis A
- having sex with someone who has the infection, particularly if you touch their anus with your fingers, mouth or tongue
- injecting drugs with equipment that isn't clean
A person with hepatitis A is most likely to pass it on from around 2 weeks before their symptoms start until about 1 week after the symptoms first appear.
The hepatitis A vaccine
Getting vaccinated is the best way to guard against hepatitis A. The vaccine isn't given routinely in the UK, since most people there face a low risk of infection. It's recommended only for people whose risk is higher, including:
- close contacts of someone who has hepatitis A
- people planning to travel to or live in areas where hepatitis A is common, especially where cleanliness and food hygiene may be poor
- people living with any long-term (chronic) liver disease
- men who have sex with other men
- people who inject illegal drugs
- people whose work may expose them to hepatitis A, such as sewage workers, staff at homeless shelters, and those who work with monkeys, apes and gorillas