What is Hepatitis –B?
Hepatitis B is a serious liver infection caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV). For some people, hepatitis B infection becomes chronic, meaning it lasts more than six months. Having chronic hepatitis B increases your risk of developing liver failure, liver cancer or cirrhosis — a condition that permanently scars of the liver.
Most adults with hepatitis B recover fully, even if their signs and symptoms are severe. Infants and children are more likely to develop a chronic (long-lasting) hepatitis B infection.
A vaccine can prevent hepatitis B, but there’s no cure if you have the condition. If you’re infected, taking certain precautions can help prevent spreading the virus to others.
Symptoms
- Abdominal pain
- Dark urine
- Fever
- Joint pain
- Loss of appetite
- Nausea and vomiting
- Weakness and fatigue
- Yellowing of your skin and the whites of your eyes (jaundice)
Causes
Hepatitis B infection is caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV). The virus is passed from person to person through blood, semen or other body fluids. It does not spread by sneezing or coughing.
Common ways that HBV can spread are:
- Sexual contact.
- Sharing of needles. Accidental needle sticks.
- Mother to child.
Risk Factors
Hepatitis B spreads through contact with blood, semen or other body fluids from an infected person. Your risk of hepatitis B infection increases if you:
- Have unprotected sex with multiple sex partners or with someone who's infected with HBV
- Share needles during IV drug use
- Are a man who has sex with other men
- Live with someone who has a chronic HBV infection
- Are an infant born to an infected mother
- Have a job that exposes you to human blood
- Travel to regions with high infection rates of HBV, such as Asia, the Pacific Islands, Africa and Eastern Europe
Complications
- Scarring of the liver (cirrhosis)
- Liver cancer
- Liver failure
Prevention
The hepatitis B vaccine is recommended for:
- Newborns
- Children and adolescents not vaccinated at birth
- Those who work or live in a center for people who are developmentally disabled
- People who live with someone who has hepatitis B
- Health care workers, emergency workers and other people who come into contact with blood
- Anyone who has a sexually transmitted infection, including HIV
- Men who have sex with men
- People who have multiple sexual partners
- Sexual partners of someone who has hepatitis B
- People who inject illegal drugs or share needles and syringes
- People with chronic liver disease
- People with end-stage kidney disease
- People with end-stage kidney disease
- Travelers planning to go to an area of the world with a high hepatitis B infection rate
Take Precautions to Avoid HBV
Other ways to reduce your risk of HBV include:
- Know the HBV status of any sexual partner
- Use a new latex or polyurethane condom every time you have sex
- Don't use illegal drugs
- Be cautious about body piercing and tattooing
- Ask about the hepatitis B vaccine before you travel
Is Hepatitis B Curable?
There is no cure for hepatitis B. But again, it often goes away in a few months, and it sometimes disappears in people who have a chronic case of the disease.
