In this Article

• Hepatitis A facts*
• What is hepatitis A?
• What is the liver?
• What causes hepatitis A?
• Who gets hepatitis A?
• How could I get hepatitis A?
• What are the symptoms of hepatitis A?
• How is hepatitis A diagnosed?
• How is hepatitis A treated?
• How can I avoid getting hepatitis A?
• What should I do if I think I have been exposed to the hepatitis A virus?
• Hope through Research
• For More Information
• Acknowledgments
• Find a local Gastroenterologist in your town
• Hepatitis A Index

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.

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

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

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

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