What Are the Symptoms of Acute Viral Hepatitis?
Updated December 29, 2014.
Middle Symptoms (Icteric or Jaundice Stage)
About 5 to 10 days after the prodromal stage begins, the initial symptoms may worsen and sometimes, jaundice may develop. However, while jaundice is the most well-known sign of hepatitis, it's actually a symptom that few people have. Jaundice, which is an accumulation of a chemical called bilirubin in the body's tissues, can give a yellow color to the skin, urine and especially around the whites of the eyes.In addition, people with jaundice may have light-colored stools.
The liver usually processes bilirubin as a waste product. When the liver is damaged, by the hepatitis viruses for example, it's unable to do its normal job and things start to go wrong. Bilirubin builds up in the blood and starts to leak out into nearby tissues. When enough of this chemical accumulates, the person appears jaundiced.
Some people won't realize they have acute viral hepatitis until they (or their friends) notice their yellow tint. This leads them to the doctor's office where blood work follows. But as noted above, jaundice isn't a reliable way to diagnose viral hepatitis because many people with viral hepatitis never have it. Also, other diseases can cause jaundice.
Recovery (Convalescent Stage)
During the recovery stage, the symptoms will disappear, probably following the order in which they came. You'll start to get your appetite back and your energy levels will start returning to what they were before you got sick.If you had jaundice, that too, will start to fade as your liver is able to better process the bilirubin in your blood. For those with hepatitis A and E, complete recovery should be expected by two months, if not sooner. For those with hepatitis B and C, full recovery should be expected by four months in the majority of people with uncomplicated infections.
Coinfection or superinfection with hepatitis D is considered a complication and the recovery time may be longer. Also, recovery times after infection with hepatitis B and C can be very different for people with HIV.
For more information about the five viruses that target the liver and cause viral hepatitis infection:
Some people won't get to the recovery stage. For people with acute viral hepatitis, they will either have no symptoms (asymptomatic) or they will have the symptoms described above and in my Big List of Acute Viral Hepatitis Symptoms. Normally, most people get better. However, for some, their bodies won't be able clear the infection and they will transition to chronic viral hepatitis. This would be your diagnosis if you still had evidence of hepatitis virus in your liver after six months of infection. Chronic infection will present with different signs and symptoms.
- More Information About Chronic hepatitis
- Complications of Hepatitis
- Overview Of Hepatitis Treatment
Sources:
Berenguer M, Wright TL. Hepatitis C. In: M Feldman, LS Friedman, LJ Brandt (eds), Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease, 8e. Philadelphia, Elsevier, 2006. 1688-1689.
Dienstag JL. Acute Viral Hepatitis. In: AS Fauci, E Braunwald, DL Kasper, SL Hauser, DL Longo, JL Jameson, J Loscaizo (eds), Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine, 17e. New York, McGraw-Hill, 2008. 1941-1942.
Friedman LS. Liver, Biliary Tract, & Pancreas. In: LM Tierney, SJ McPhee, MA Papadakis (eds), Current Medical Diagnosis & Treatment, 46e. New York, McGraw-Hill, 2007.
Perrillo R, Nair, S. Hepatitis B and D. In: M Feldman, LS Friedman, LJ Brandt (eds), Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease, 8e. Philadelphia, Elsevier, 2006. 1654-1655.
Sjogren MH. Hepatitis A. In: M Feldman, LS Friedman, LJ Brandt (eds), Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease, 8e. Philadelphia, Elsevier, 2006. 1641-1642.
