From the Guidelines
Hepatitis A typically lasts in your body for about 2 to 6 months, with most people fully recovering within 3 months. The infection follows a predictable course: after an incubation period of 15-50 days, symptoms appear and usually last for 2-8 weeks 1. During this time, you may experience fatigue, nausea, abdominal pain, loss of appetite, jaundice, dark urine, and light-colored stools. Unlike hepatitis B or C, hepatitis A does not cause chronic liver disease and rarely results in death. Your body develops antibodies during infection that provide lifelong immunity against future hepatitis A infections 1.
Key Points to Consider
- The likelihood of having symptoms with HAV infection increases with age, with approximately 70% of adults having symptoms compatible with acute viral hepatitis and the majority of children having either asymptomatic or unrecognized infection 1.
- Treatment is supportive, focusing on rest, adequate nutrition, and avoiding alcohol to help your liver heal.
- While most people recover completely without specific medication, severe cases may require hospitalization for monitoring and supportive care.
- The virus is primarily transmitted through the fecal-oral route, so practicing good hygiene and getting vaccinated are the best preventive measures 1.
Morbidity and Mortality
- The overall case-fatality ratio among cases reported is approximately 0.5%, but reaches 1.8% among adults aged >50 years; persons with chronic liver disease are at increased risk for acute liver failure 1.
- Approximately 10% of patients experience a relapse of symptoms during the 6 months after acute illness 1.
From the Research
Hepatitis A Duration
- The duration of hepatitis A in the body is not directly addressed in the provided studies 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
- These studies focus on various aspects of liver disease, including autoimmune hepatitis, acute liver failure due to hepatitis B, severe alcoholic hepatitis, and drug-induced acute liver failure.
- None of the studies provide information on the duration of hepatitis A infection in the body.
- Therefore, there is no relevant information available from these studies to answer the question of how long hepatitis A lasts in the body.