Symptoms
of autoimmune hepatitis
Nearly a quarter of people with autoimmune hepatitis will have no symptoms.
Or you might get symptoms after you have been diagnosed. For some people these can develop quickly over a few days (acute hepatitis).
The information on this page is for:
- Adults with autoimmune hepatitis or suspected autoimmune hepatitis
- Family, friends, carers, and healthcare professionals.
On this page:
Early symptoms
Early symptoms can include:
- An overwhelming sense of tiredness (fatigue)
- Feeling generally unwell
- Itching
- Yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes (jaundice)
- An aching feeling or discomfort on the upper right side of your tummy (where your liver is)
- Losing weight for no reason
- Joint or muscle pain
- Aching joints
- Little or no appetite
- Feeling sick (nausea)
- Skin rash
- Flu-like symptoms
- Missed periods (menstruation).
Later symptoms
If the liver struggles to work more serious symptoms can develop. If you have any of these symptoms, tell a doctor straight away:
- Yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes (jaundice)
- Swelling in the legs, ankles and feet caused by a build-up of fluid (oedema)
- Swelling in your tummy caused by a build-up of fluid (ascites)
- Periods of confusion, forgetting things, mood changes or poor judgement (hepatic encephalopathy (HE) or brain fog)
- A tendency to bleed and bruise more easily, such as frequent nosebleeds and bleeding gums.
- If you have jaundice, you may notice your pee (urine) is darker than usual.
Even if you have no symptoms, if you have another autoimmune condition and are worried, tell your doctor.
Read more about the symptoms of liver disease.
I started to feel really unwell as the weeks went on. The exhaustion was beyond anything I had experienced
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This content was last reviewed: June 2023
Our expert reviewers:
We would like to thank everyone who helped with creating and reviewing this page. Including Dr Vikki Gordon, University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust and Sue Eldred, Wye Valley NHS Trust. Ann Brownlee, Chair of Trustees, AIH Support. 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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