Hepatitis B Virus: An Overview

Hepatitis B is a virus that infects the liver. Most adults who get it
have it for a short time and then get better. This is called acute
hepatitis B.

Sometimes the virus causes a long-term infection, called chronic
hepatitis B. Over time, it can damage your liver. Babies and young
children infected with the virus are more likely to get chronic
hepatitis B.

You can have hepatitis B and not know it. You may not have symptoms.
If you do, they can make you feel like you have the flu. But as long
as you have the virus, you can spread it to others.

It's caused by the hepatitis B virus. It is spread through contact
with the blood and body fluids of an infected person.

You may get hepatitis B if you:

Have sex with an infected person without using a condom.

Share needles (used for injecting drugs) with an infected person.

Get a tattoo or piercing with tools that weren't sterilized.

Share personal items like razors or toothbrushes with an infected person.

A mother who has the virus can pass it to her baby during delivery.
Medical experts recommend that all pregnant women get tested for
hepatitis B. If you have the virus, your baby can get shots to help
prevent infection with the virus.

You cannot get hepatitis B from casual contact such as hugging,
kissing, sneezing, coughing, or sharing food or drinks.

Many people with hepatitis B don't know they have it, because they
don't have symptoms. If you do have symptoms, you may just feel like
you have the flu.

Symptoms include:

Feeling very tired.

Mild fever.

Headache.

Not wanting to eat.

Feeling sick to your stomach or vomiting.

Belly pain.

Diarrheaor constipation.

Muscle aches and joint pain.

Skin rash.

Yellowish eyes and skin (jaundice). Janice usually appears only after
other symptoms have started to go away.

Most people with chronic hepatitis B have no symptoms.

A simple blood test can tell your doctor if you have the hepatitis B
virus now or if you had it in the past. Your doctor also may be able
to tell if you have had the vaccine to prevent the virus.

If your doctor thinks you may have liver damage from hepatitis B, he
or she may use a needle to take a tiny sample of your liver for
testing. This is called a liver biopsy.