Which of the following is a true statement about Hepatitis A symptoms?

• A. Pain in the right abdomen, nausea, vomiting, dark urine, jaundice, and fever are common.
• B. Only cough occurs.
• C. Rash is the hallmark.
• D. Symptoms resolve within a day.

Answer: (A)

Recognizing the typical symptom pattern of acute hepatitis A. In adults, infection often starts with a systemic viral prodrome such as fever, malaise, and poor appetite, followed by liver-specific symptoms. Pain in the right upper quadrant reflects liver inflammation and enlargement, while nausea and vomiting are common gastrointestinal effects. Dark urine occurs from increased bilirubin processing, and jaundice appears as bilirubin accumulates. This combination of RUQ discomfort, GI symptoms, dark urine, jaundice, and fever fits the usual clinical picture of acute hepatitis A, making it the true statement. The other options don’t align with how HAV typically presents: cough alone isn’t a hallmark of hepatitis A, rash is not a defining feature, and symptoms lasting only a day would be unusually brief for this infection, which generally lasts weeks to months before recovery.