Dark-Colored Urine and Gray-Colored Stool
One of the most uncomplicated symptoms a patient could look for is changes in the stool and urine. Urine and stool are the body’s waste products and are excellent indicators of what’s happening inside the body. A healthy person should not experience extreme pain or discomfort while urinating or defecating. Yet, 98% of patients with hepatitis were first diagnosed because of their urine and stool color.
A patient with hepatitis A usually excretes dark brown but clear urine. Smoky dark urine is often an indicator of liver-related diseases. Usually, bilirubin enters the intestines and is eliminated in the stool. But infected livers do not function properly, so bilirubin is eliminated in the urine. Some patients may also excrete dark yellow urine because of jaundice.
Pale or gray-colored stools are not normal and are usually a symptom of complications in the biliary system. Patients with hepatitis A may experience liver inflammation and blockage in the bile ducts, resulting in a low amount of bile in the digestive system. Bile helps in the digestion of fats and gives stool its brown color.
