What should you know about the first symptoms of hepatitis A?

Early hepatitis A symptoms can resemble a stomach or flu-like illness. A person may feel generally unwell, lose interest in food, feel nauseated, or have discomfort beneath the ribs. Later, yellowing of the eyes or skin, pale stools, and dark urine may appear. A symptom alone cannot diagnose hepatitis A: the condition presents with a combination of symptoms and exposure history, while many other illnesses can cause the same complaints. Read about [Feeling Generally Unwell](/symptoms/feeling-generally-unwell/), [Loss of Appetite](/symptoms/loss-of-appetite/), and [Nausea](/symptoms/nausea/).

Contact a clinician if symptoms are new, persistent, or follow travel, unsafe food or water, or close contact with someone diagnosed with hepatitis A. Until you receive advice, wash hands thoroughly after toilet use and before handling food, avoid preparing food for others if unwell, and avoid alcohol. The clinician may request blood tests, including a [Liver Function Test](/treatments/diagnostics-and-screening/liver-function-test/), and discuss [Hepatitis A Vaccination](/treatments/preventive-care-and-vaccination/hepatitis-a-vaccination/) for eligible contacts.

Seek urgent medical care for confusion, extreme drowsiness, repeated vomiting, severe abdominal pain, bleeding, or dehydration. Arrange prompt assessment for yellow skin or eyes, dark urine, or rapidly worsening symptoms. People with known liver disease, older adults, young children, and pregnant people should seek advice earlier.

Ask whether your symptoms fit hepatitis A, which tests are needed, how to protect people at home, and what warning signs should prompt immediate reassessment.