what are the symptoms and signs of viral hepatitis?
the period of time between exposure to hepatitis and the onset of the illness is called the incubation period. the incubation period varies depending on the specific hepatitis virus. hepatitis a has an incubation period of about 15-45 days; hepatitis b from 45-160 days and hepatitis c from 2 weeks to 6 months. many patients infected with hepatitis a b and c have few or no symptoms of illness. for those who do develop symptoms of viral hepatitis the most common are flu-like symptoms including: loss of appetite. nausea. vomiting. fever. weakness. tiredness. aching in the abdomen. less common symptoms include: dark urine. light-colored stools. fever. jaundice (a yellow appearance to the skin and white portion of the eyes).