Symptoms
of hepatitis A
Some people have no symptoms of hepatitis A. For other people the symptoms range from mild to very severe.
The information on this page is for:
- Adults with hepatitis A or suspected Hepatitis A
- Family, friends, carers, and healthcare professionals.
On this page:
Symptoms of hepatitis A
Most children under 6 years old will have no symptoms. Symptoms are more common in adults and can be worse in older age groups.
Hepatitis A symptoms usually start around 4 weeks after you pick up the virus. They can come on quite suddenly.
The most common symptoms of hepatitis A are:
- A temperature (fever)
- Headache
- Feeling very tired
- Lack of appetite
- Feeling sick (nausea)
- Being sick (vomiting)
- Diarrhoea
- Tummy pain
- Jaundice (a yellow colour to your eyes or skin)
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This content was last reviewed: June 2026
Our expert reviewers:
We would like to thank everyone who helped with creating and reviewing this page. Including Dr Jay Patel, Consultant hepatologist, Bedfordshire hospitals NHS trust, Kathryn Jack, Lead nurse for research and innovation, Nottingham university hospitals NHS trust, Dr. Ahmed Elsharkawy, Consultant transplant hepatologist. And all our patient reviewers.
Find out how we make our patient information.
Everyone’s experience of liver disease will be different. Always talk to your specialist medical team for personal advice.
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