If you have chronic hepatitis B or C, our liver specialists can determine the best antiviral medications for you. If your liver is severely damaged, they may recommend a liver transplant.

Although there's no treatment for hepatitis A, the body can usually clear it out on its own. For all hepatitis infections, our doctors may suggest lifestyle changes, such as:

Avoiding alcohol
Avoiding medications that cause liver damage
Eating a healthy diet

How is hepatitis diagnosed?

If you know you've been exposed to hepatitis B or C, you should talk to your doctor immediately. A simple blood test can determine the presence of any hepatitis virus. It can also show if you have:

Acute hepatitis: A short-term infection that develops within six months of exposure
Chronic hepatitis: A long-term illness that can last a person's lifetime

If the blood test reveals the presence of hepatitis B or C, your doctor may want to take a tissue sample to determine how damaged your liver is.

What is hepatitis?

Hepatitis is a viral infection of the liver that leads to inflammation. Chronic hepatitis can cause long-term damage to the liver, which increases the risk for:

Liver cancer
Liver failure
Cirrhosis

Hepatitis usually doesn't appear until several weeks to several months after you've been exposed to the virus, depending on the type. The most common types of hepatitis are:

Hepatitis A
Hepatitis B
Hepatitis C

Hepatitis A

Hepatitis A is a highly contagious liver infection that causes inflammation. There is a vaccine that can prevent hepatitis A infection.

While most people recover quickly with no permanent liver damage, 10% to 15% of people may have long-lasting symptoms. Rarely, liver failure occurs. If it does, you may need a liver transplant.

Hepatitis A symptoms

Hepatitis A takes several weeks to develop. Children may not have any symptoms. Common symptoms include:

Abdominal pain on your right side beneath your lower ribs
Dark urine
Diarrhea
Clay-colored bowel movements
Fatigue
Jaundice (yellowing of the eyes and skin)
Joint pain
Low-grade fever
Nausea and vomiting
Reduced appetite

What causes hepatitis A?

You can get hepatitis A from:

Close contact with someone infected with hepatitis A
Contaminated food or water
Eating food handled by someone with the virus who doesn't thoroughly wash their hands after using the toilet
Raw shellfish harvested from water polluted with sewage

You can spread the hepatitis A virus for two weeks before you even begin to have symptoms.

Risk factors for hepatitis A

While frequent handwashing helps protect against hepatitis A, those at risk include people who haven't had the hepatitis A vaccine who:

Inject illegal drugs
Live with or have intercourse with someone who's infected
Travel to countries where hepatitis A is common
Work or spend time in childcare settings

Hepatitis A treatment

Mild cases of hepatitis A don't require medical treatment. Your body clears the hepatitis A virus on its own. In most cases, the liver heals within six months with no lasting damage.

Self-care recommendations include:

Avoid alcohol to rest your liver
Eat smaller meals throughout the day to ease nausea
Rest

See your doctor if you think you've been exposed to hepatitis A. Getting the hepatitis A vaccine or immunoglobulin therapy within two weeks of exposure may protect you from infection.

Hepatitis B

Hepatitis B is a serious viral infection with symptoms that usually appear several months after exposure. It is spread through bodily fluids - usually by having sex with an infected person or sharing a syringe. There is a vaccine for hepatitis B, but no known cure once you have it.

Hepatitis C

Hepatitis C is an infection that causes liver inflammation. There is no vaccine for hepatitis C. The only way to prevent infection is to avoid contact with infected blood and shared needles when using drugs.

Hepatitis C can be acute or chronic. However, 75% or more of those with the acute type eventually develop the chronic type.

How is hepatitis C diagnosed?

Doctors often don't diagnose hepatitis C until they find liver damage during regular medical tests years later. A person with hepatitis C may need a liver biopsy or liver scan to reveal the extent of the damage.

There are also several blood tests that can diagnose hepatitis C. If tests reveal you have antibodies to the hepatitis C virus in your blood, you were exposed to the virus. If your test results come back negative, your doctor should re-test you in six months.

Hepatitis C symptoms

Hepatitis C often causes no symptoms until much later in a person's life. Early signs may be like the flu. Common symptoms include:

Ascites (fluid accumulation in the abdomen)
Easy bleeding or bruising
Fatigue
Itchy skin
Jaundice
Leg swelling
Liver tenderness
Loss of appetite
Muscle and joint soreness
Nausea
Spider angiomas (spider-like blood vessels on the skin)
Weight loss

Risk factors for hepatitis C

You have a higher risk of contracting hepatitis C if you:

Had a blood transfusion before 1992
Are a healthcare worker who accidentally pricks yourself with a needle used on infected patients
Got a body piercing or tattoo with nonsterile methods

Hepatitis C treatment

Treatment for hepatitis C involves antiviral medications. If your liver is very damaged, you may require a liver transplant.

Treatment with antiviral medications usually continues after a liver transplant because hepatitis C is likely to reappear in the new liver.

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