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.

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.

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