What I need to know about
 

Hepatitis Hepatitis A

U.S. Department 

of Health and 

Human Services National Digestive Diseases 

NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH Information Clearinghouse 

 

What I need to know about 

Hepatitis A 

U.S. Department 


of Health and
 

Human Services
 National Digestive Diseases 

NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH Information Clearinghouse

Contents
 

What is hepatitis A?................................................ 1
 

What is the liver?..................................................... 1
 

What causes hepatitis A? ....................................... 2
 

Who gets hepatitis A?............................................. 2
 

How could I get hepatitis A?.................................. 3
 

What are the symptoms of hepatitis A?................ 4
 

How is hepatitis A diagnosed?............................... 5
 

How is hepatitis A treated?.................................... 5
 

How can I avoid getting hepatitis A? .................... 6
 

What should I do if I think I have been 


exposed to the hepatitis A virus?........................... 8
 

Points to Remember ............................................... 8
 

Hope through Research ......................................... 9
 

Pronunciation Guide............................................... 9
 

For More Information .......................................... 10
 

Acknowledgments ................................................. 12
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What is hepatitis A? 

Hepatitis A is a liver disease. Hepatitis* means 

inflammation of the liver. Inflammation is the 

painful, red swelling that results when tissues of the 

body become injured or infected. Inflammation 

can cause organs to not work properly. 

What is the liver? 

The liver is an organ that does many important 


things.
 

The liver 

● removes harmful chemicals from your blood 

● fights infection 

● Esophagus helps digest food 

● stores nutrients and Stomach 

vitamins 

Liver Large

intestine 

● stores energy 

You cannot live without 

a liver. 

*See page 9 for tips 	 Small 

intestine on how to say the 

words in bold type. Hepatitis A is a liver disease. 

1 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What causes hepatitis A? 

The hepatitis A virus causes hepatitis A. Viruses 

are germs that can cause sickness. For example, 

the flu is caused by a virus. People can pass viruses 

to each other. 

Who gets hepatitis A? 

Anyone can get hepatitis A, but some people are at 

higher risk, including 

●	 people who travel to developing countries 

●	 people who live with someone who has 

hepatitis A 

●	 people who use illegal drugs, including 

noninjection drugs 

●	 men who have sex with men 

2 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How could I get hepatitis A? 

You could get hepatitis A through contact with an 

infected person’s stool. 

You could get hepatitis A from 

●	 eating food made by an infected person who 

didn’t wash his or her hands after using the 

bathroom 

●	 drinking untreated water or eating food washed 

in untreated water 

●	 placing a finger or object in your mouth that 

came into contact with an infected person’s stool 

●	 having close personal contact with an infected 

person, such as through sex or caring for 

someone who is ill 

Wash your hands before 

fixing food or eating. 

3 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You cannot get hepatitis A from 

● someone sneezing or coughing on you 

● sitting next to a person who has hepatitis A 

● hugging an infected person 

What are the symptoms of 


hepatitis A?
 

Children younger than age 6 often have no 

symptoms. Older children and adults often get 

mild, flulike symptoms, including 

● tiredness 

● upset stomach 

● fever 

● loss of appetite 

● stomach pain 

● diarrhea 

● dark yellow urine 

● light-colored stools 

● yellowish eyes and skin, called jaundice 

4 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How is hepatitis A diagnosed? 

Blood tests will show if you have hepatitis A or 

another type of hepatitis. 

How is hepatitis A treated? 

Hepatitis A usually gets better in a few weeks 

without treatment. Get lots of rest and avoid 

drinking alcohol, which bothers the liver. Your 

doctor may suggest medicines to help relieve your 

symptoms, or medicines you may want to avoid. 

If symptoms persist, especially if you are an older 

person, then you should see a doctor again. 

When you recover, your body will have learned to 

fight off a future hepatitis A infection. However, 

you can still get other kinds of hepatitis. 

Bed rest and medicine will help 

you get better. 

5 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How can I avoid getting hepatitis A? 

You can avoid getting hepatitis A by getting the 

hepatitis A vaccine. 

Vaccines are medicines that keep you from getting 

sick. Vaccines teach the body to attack specific 

germs. The hepatitis A vaccine teaches your body 

to attack the hepatitis A virus. 

The hepatitis A vaccine is given through two shots. 

The second shot is given 6 to 12 months after 

the first shot. Both shots are needed to be fully 

protected from the virus. 

All children should be vaccinated and must be at 

least 12 months old to get the first shot. Discuss 

the hepatitis A vaccine with your child’s doctor. 

Adults at higher risk of getting hepatitis A and 

people with chronic liver disease should also be 

vaccinated. 

If you are traveling to countries where hepatitis A 

is common, including Mexico, try to get both shots 

before you go. If you don’t have time to get both 

shots before you travel, get the first shot as soon as 

possible. Most people gain some protection within 

2 weeks after the first shot. 

6 
 

 

 

 

 

You can also protect yourself and others from 

hepatitis A if you 

●	 always wash your hands with warm, soapy water 

after using the toilet or changing diapers and 

before fixing food or eating 

●	 use bottled water for drinking, making ice cubes, 

and washing fruits and vegetables when you are 

in a developing country 

7 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What should I do if I think I have been 

exposed to the hepatitis A virus? 

See your doctor right away if you think you have 

been exposed to the hepatitis A virus. A medicine 

called hepatitis A immune globulin may protect 

you from getting sick if taken shortly after exposure 

to the hepatitis A virus. 

Points to Remember 

●	 Hepatitis A is a liver disease caused by the 


hepatitis A virus.
 

●	 Anyone can get hepatitis A, but some people are 

at higher risk. 

●	 You could get hepatitis A through contact with 

an infected person’s stool. 

●	 Hepatitis A may cause mild, flulike symptoms. 

●	 Hepatitis A usually gets better without 

treatment. 

●	 You can protect yourself from getting hepatitis A 

by getting the hepatitis A vaccine. 

●	 See your doctor right away if you think you’ve 

been exposed to the hepatitis A virus. 

8 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hope through Research 

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive 

and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) supports basic and 

clinical research into many digestive disorders, 

including hepatitis A. 

Participants in clinical trials can play a more 

active role in their own health care, gain access to 

new research treatments before they are widely 

available, and help others by contributing to 

medical research. For information about current 

studies, visit www.ClinicalTrials.gov. 

Pronunciation Guide 

hepatitis (HEP-uh-TY-tiss) 

inflammation (IN-fluh-MAY-shuhn) 

jaundice (JAWN-diss) 

vaccine (vak-SEEN) 

virus (VY-ruhss) 

9 
 

For More Information 

American Liver Foundation 

75 Maiden Lane, Suite 603 

New York, NY 10038–4810 

Phone: 1–800–GO–LIVER (1–800–465–4837)

 or 212–668–1000 

Fax: 212–483–8179 

Email: info@liverfoundation.org 

Internet: www.liverfoundation.org 

Hepatitis Foundation International 

504 Blick Drive 

Silver Spring, MD 20904–2901 

Phone: 1–800–891–0707 or 301–622–4200 

Fax: 301–622–4702 

Email: hfi@comcast.net 

Internet: www.hepfi.org 

10
 
 

 

 

 

 

Other types of hepatitis exist. The National 

Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse 

(NDDIC) also has booklets about hepatitis B and 

hepatitis C: 

● What I need to know about Hepatitis B 

● What I need to know about Hepatitis C 

You can get a free copy of each booklet by 

calling 1–800–891–5389, by going online to 

www.catalog.niddk.nih.gov, or by writing to 

NDDIC 

2 Information Way 

Bethesda, MD 20892–3570 

Hepatitis information for health professionals is 

also available. 

11 
 

 

 

Acknowledgments 

Publications produced by the Clearinghouse are 

carefully reviewed by both NIDDK scientists 

and outside experts. The individuals listed here 

provided editorial guidance or facilitated fieldtesting for the original version of this publication. 

The NDDIC would like to thank these individuals 

for their contribution. 

Bruce Bacon, M.D. 

American Liver Foundation 

New York, NY 

Theo Heller, M.D. 

NIDDK, National Institutes of Health 

Bethesda, MD 

Luby Garza-Abijaoude, M.S., R.D., L.D. 

Texas Department of Health 

Austin, TX 

Thelma Thiel, R.N. 

Hepatitis Foundation International 

Cedar Grove, NJ 

12
 
National Digestive Diseases 

Information Clearinghouse 

2 Information Way 

Bethesda, MD 20892–3570 

Phone: 1–800–891–5389 

TTY: 1–866–569–1162 

Fax: 703–738–4929 

Email: nddic@info.niddk.nih.gov 

Internet: www.digestive.niddk.nih.gov 

The National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse 

(NDDIC) is a service of the National Institute of Diabetes and 

Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). The NIDDK is part of 

the National Institutes of Health of the U.S. Department of Health 

and Human Services. Established in 1980, the Clearinghouse 

provides information about digestive diseases to people with 

digestive disorders and to their families, health care professionals, 

and the public. The NDDIC answers inquiries, develops and 

distributes publications, and works closely with professional and 

patient organizations and Government agencies to coordinate 

resources about digestive diseases. 

This publication is not copyrighted. The Clearinghouse 

encourages users of this booklet to duplicate and distribute as 

many copies as desired. 

This booklet is also available at www.digestive.niddk.nih.gov. 

This publication may contain information about medications. 

When prepared, this publication included the most current 

information available. For updates or for questions about any 

medications, contact the U.S. Food and Drug Administration 

toll-free at 1–888–INFO–FDA (1–888–463–6332) or visit 

www.fda.gov. Consult your doctor for more information. 
U.S. DEpArTmENT OF HEALTH 

AND HUmAN SErvICES 

National Institutes of Health 

NIH Publication No. 09–4244 

April 2009