Hepatitis

Symptoms of hepatitis

Many people with hepatitis will get no symptoms at all or only get symptoms a long time after infection.

If you do have symptoms, these may include:

• yellowing of your skin and the whites of your eyes (jaundice) - yellowed skin may be less noticeable if you have brown or black skin
• itchy skin
• pain in your upper tummy, usually under the right side of your ribs
• pale poo
• darker pee than normal
• feeling very tired
• feeling or being sick (nausea or vomiting)
• a high temperature
• losing your appetite

These symptoms usually last for 1 to 3 weeks, but they can last longer and sometimes may come back again.

You might also get flu-like symptoms, diarrhoea, tummy pain, and feel or be sick before the main symptoms of hepatitis start. This can last for 5 to 7 days.

Ask for an urgent GP appointment or get help from 111 if:

Causes of hepatitis

The most common cause of hepatitis is being infected with a hepatitis virus. How you get the virus depends on the type, but you can get an infection by:

• eating food or drinking water that has come into contact with the poo of an infected person or animal
• eating raw or undercooked meat (usually pork) or shellfish
• infected blood or body fluids mixing with your blood

Getting infected from blood or body fluids can happen during birth, unprotected vaginal, anal or oral sex, or a blood transfusion.

It can also happen if you share things like needles, razor blades or toothbrushes, or from equipment that's not been cleaned properly - for example, when getting a tattoo or piercing.

Hepatitis can also be caused by:

• other infections, such as glandular fever and cytomegalovirus (CMV)
• substances, such as drinking alcohol or eating poisonous mushrooms
• some medicines, such as statins and NSAIDs
• other conditions, including non-alcoholic fatty liver disease or haemochromatosis

Types of hepatitis

There are 5 main viruses that cause different types of hepatitis. There are also non-viral types of hepatitis.

The causes and treatment depend on which type you have. Get medical help if you think you have hepatitis.

Find out more

• Alcohol-related liver disease
• Autoimmune hepatitis (Liver UK)
• Viral hepatitis (Liver UK))

Treatment for hepatitis

How hepatitis is treated depends on the type, what's caused it or how serious it is.

Some types, such as hepatitis A and hepatitis E, usually get better without treatment for the virus.

For other types, treatment can include:

• antiviral medicine to treat or control the infection
• medicine to help calm your immune system
• lifestyle changes like drinking less alcohol or keeping to a healthy weight

If your liver has been seriously damaged by hepatitis, you may need a liver transplant.

Complications of hepatitis

Hepatitis can be short term (acute) or long term (chronic).

Short-term hepatitis usually does not cause serious complications, but it can take several months to recover fully.

Having hepatitis for a long time, or not having treatment for some types of hepatitis, can cause serious problems.

Complications can include:

• permanent damage to the liver (cirrhosis)
• liver failure
• liver cancer, or other types of cancer

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