Hepatitis A

in adults

Hepatitis A is virus that can harm the liver. It is very rare in the UK. Most people will make a full recovery from hepatitis A without any specific medical treatment. But the condition can sometimes be more serious.

Also called: HepA HAV

The information on this page is for:

Adults with hepatitis A or suspected hepatitis A.
Family, friends, carers, and healthcare professionals.

Find out about hepatitis A in children

Hepatitis A is usually spread when poo from someone with the virus gets into the mouth of someone else. This could be through contaminated hands, water, or food. But can sometimes be picked up by close contact with someone who has the condition. The virus can be passed on for about a week after someone starts to get symptoms.

People who already have a long term (chronic) liver disease have a greater risk of becoming very unwell if they pick up the hepatitis A virus. In the most severe cases, your liver can stop working. Doctors call this “acute-on-chronic liver failure”. The chances of this happening are rare.

Quick Summary

Heptatitis A:

Is very rare in the UK
It is caused by a virus
Most people will make a full recovery from hepatitis A without medical treatment
People with a long-term liver condition are more at risk from hepatitis A
A free and very effective vaccine is available on the NHS for people at risk

Find out more about hepatitis A using the links below.

Find out more

Information for adults

Causes

Prevention

Symptoms

Tests and diagnosis

Treatment

Recovering from hepatitis A

Support

How Liver UK can help

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This content was last reviewed: Month Year

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.