What are the symptoms of Hepatitis A?

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The incubation period is 2-6 weeks. This means that it takes 2-6 weeks to develop symptoms after first being infected. (However, during this time you will be passing out the virus in your faeces, and so can infect others if your standard of hygiene is not good. For example, if you do not wash your hands after going to the toilet, and then prepare food.)
Following the incubation period, symptoms that may develop include:

Flu like symptoms. For example fever, general aches and headaches.
Tiredness, feeling sick, sometimes vomiting and diarrhoea.
Jaundice. This is a yellow colour of the skin and whites of the eyes. This may turn the urine dark and the faeces a pale colour. This is due to pigments in the blood not being properly cleared by the inflamed liver. Jaundice can cause itching.
An ache over the liver (the upper part of the right side of the abdomen below the ribs).

The length of the illness is variable. The flu like symptoms usually last a week or so with the jaundice then gradually fading. A feeling of tiredness may last a few weeks. Most people fully recover. In a small number of people the illness can be more severe and last longer. Complications are rare (see below). In some cases the infection causes only mild symptoms, and no jaundice. In some cases, no symptoms at all develop (a subclinical infection).

Hepatitis A infection does not become persistent (chronic). This is unlike some other forms of hepatitis such as hepatitis B and C which can cause a chronic (persistent) infection of the liver.

A blood test can confirm the diagnosis. The test detects an antibody against the virus which you make when you are first infected. A different antibody persists long-term after the infection has cleared. This antibody keeps you immune from future infection. A blood test can detect this second antibody which shows if you have had hepatitis A in the past, and that you are now immune.