In brief
- Viral hepatitis is a disease of the liver caused by a virus.
- Untreated, it can lead to scarring or cancer of the liver.
- You can spread it without having symptoms.
- Testing is the only way to know you have it.
- Vaccines prevent hepatitis A and B, and medicine cures hepatitis C.
The liver, and hepatitis
Hepatitis means inflammation of the liver. The liver is one of the body's largest and most important organs: about the size of a football, weighing on average about 3 pounds, on the upper right side behind the lower ribs. Almost all of the body's blood passes through it. It does hundreds of jobs: storing nutrients; removing waste and worn-out cells from the blood; filtering and processing chemicals in food, alcohol and medicines; and making bile, which helps digest fats and get rid of waste. When the liver is inflamed or damaged, it cannot do these jobs well.
Heavy alcohol use, toxins, some medicines and certain medical conditions can cause hepatitis — but it is often caused by a virus. Cases range from mild to severe, and many people do not know they are infected.
Tens of thousands of people in the U.S. are newly infected every year. Viral hepatitis kills thousands of people in the U.S. each year and is a leading cause of liver cancer.
The three common types
| Hepatitis A | Hepatitis B | Hepatitis C | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virus | hepatitis A virus (HAV) | hepatitis B virus (HBV) | hepatitis C virus (HCV) |
| How it spreads | swallowing the virus, even in microscopic amounts — through close contact with an infected person or contaminated food or drink | blood, semen or certain other body fluids of an infected person entering someone else's body, even in microscopic amounts | blood of an infected person entering someone else's body, even in microscopic amounts |
| Illness | usually mild and short-term | acute (short-term) or chronic (long-term) | many people don't look or feel sick; untreated, it can damage, scar or cause cancer of the liver |
| Prevention | vaccine | vaccine | no vaccine; avoid what spreads it |
| Treatment | rest, a balanced diet, enough fluids | none for acute; some medicines for chronic, not a cure | cured by pills in most people |
Each spreads differently, and all can spread before a person knows they are sick. CDC has more on hepatitis A, hepatitis B and hepatitis C.
Symptoms
You can have hepatitis without symptoms. The symptoms of all types are similar, and can include one or more of:
- dark urine or clay-colored stools
- diarrhea (hepatitis A only)
- feeling tired
- fever
- joint pain
- loss of appetite
- nausea, stomach pain, throwing up
- yellow skin or eyes (jaundice)
Symptoms of chronic viral hepatitis can take decades to appear.
Prevention
Anyone can get viral hepatitis, though some circumstances and behaviors raise the risk.
- Hepatitis A and B: the best protection is vaccination — and you need every shot in the series to be fully protected. See CDC's advice on hepatitis A vaccination and hepatitis B vaccination.
- Hepatitis C: with no vaccine, the best protection is to avoid what spreads it, such as sharing or reusing needles or personal items that may touch infected blood.
Testing
Testing is the only way to know.
- Hepatitis A: a doctor can give a blood test if you have symptoms and may have been exposed.
- Hepatitis B: CDC recommends that all adults be screened at least once in their lifetime with a blood test. Some people should be tested more often: pregnant women during each pregnancy, infants born to women with HBV, and people at ongoing risk. See the testing overview.
- Hepatitis C: it usually has no symptoms. CDC recommends testing for all adults, all pregnant women, and anyone who may have been recently exposed. See the testing overview.
Treatment and what to expect
- Hepatitis A: people may feel sick for a few weeks or several months but usually recover completely, with no lasting liver damage.
- Hepatitis B: for acute infection with mild symptoms, providers usually recommend rest, a balanced diet and plenty of fluids; there is no medicine for acute hepatitis B. Medicines for chronic hepatitis B are not a cure and help only some people. Chronic hepatitis B can cause serious health problems, so find a doctor who understands the disease and will test your liver regularly. See treatment.
- Hepatitis C: see a doctor right away about treatment. Most treatment is 8–12 weeks of pills, and it cures more than 95% of people, usually without side effects. The American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) and the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) recommend treatment for everyone with hepatitis C except pregnant women and children under 3. Untreated, it can become chronic liver disease even with no symptoms for years. See treatment.
Sources
Based on "Viral Hepatitis Basics" (January 31, 2025), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; a work of the United States government in the public domain. The source's links to resource pages and their stock photographs, and a stock illustration of the liver, are not reproduced.
许可协议： CC0 1.0（公有领域） · 改编自 www.cdc.gov
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