Hepatitis A Symptoms

How Long Do Hepatitis A Symptoms Last?

Hepatitis A symptoms are usually mild and last one to two weeks. Occasionally, symptoms are more severe and recovery can take several months. Up to 10 percent of people with the disease are ill for as long as six to nine months. In these cases, symptoms may come and go (known as relapsing hepatitis).

 

The overall rate of death from a hepatitis A infection is 0.3 percent. Loss of life is more common in older people infected with the virus -- the rate of death is 1.8 percent among adults 50 years of age or older. This most often occurs from a complication known as fulminant hepatitis, a condition that results in liver failure. Besides older individuals, people with severe liver disease (cirrhosis) or who have had a liver transplant are at increased risk for fulminant hepatitis.