What is Hepatitis B?
- Hepatitis B is a viral infection that attacks the liver and can cause both acute and chronic disease.
Who is at risk for Hepatitis B?
- Infants born to infected mothers
- Sex partners of infected persons
- Sexually active persons who are not in a long-term, mutually monogamous relationship (e.g., >1 sex partner during the previous 6 months)
- Men who have sex with men
- Injection drug users
- Household contacts of persons with chronic Hepatitis B infection
- Health care and public safety workers at risk for occupational exposure to blood or blood-contaminated body fluids
- Hemodialysis patients
- Residents and staff of facilities for developmentally disabled persons
- Travelers to countries with intermediate or high prevalence of Hepatitis B infection
How is Hepatitis B spread?
- The virus is transmitted through contact with the blood, semen, or other body fluids of an infected person.
- Transmission can happen through:
- Sexual contact
- Sharing needles, syringes, or other drug-injection equipment
- From mother to baby at birth
- Sharing items such as razors or toothbrushes with an infected person
- Direct contact with the blood or open sores of an infected person
- Transmission does not occur by:
- Sharing eating utensils
- Breastfeeding
- Coughing or sneezing
- Hugging, kissing, holding hands, or other casual contact
- Hepatitis B virus is not found in urine or feces
Symptoms
The presence of signs and symptoms varies by age. Most children under age 5 years and newly infected immunosuppressed adults are asymptomatic. When present, signs and symptoms can include:
- Fever
- Fatigue
- Loss of appetite
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Abdominal pain
- Dark urine
- Clay-colored bowel movements
- Joint pain
- Jaundice
How soon after an infection do the symptoms appear?
On average, symptoms appear 90 days (three months) after exposure, but they can appear any time between six weeks and six months after exposure.
Does the infection of Hepatitis B make a person immune?
Infection with Hepatitis B can lead to immunity – if you recover from acute infection and the infection does not progress to chronic infection. The younger a person is when infected with Hepatitis B , the greater their chance of developing chronic Hepatitis B. Once you recover from Hepatitis B, you must get tested by your provider to see if you have developed immunity. Being free from symptoms does not mean that your immune system fought off the infection.
What are the complications associated with chronic Hepatitis B?
Chronic Hepatitis B is a serious disease that can result in long term health problems, including liver damage, liver failure, liver cancer, or even death. Approximately 2,000–4,000 people die every year from Hepatitis B-related liver disease in the United States.
While there is no medication available to treat acute Hepatitis B infection, treatment during an acute infection generally manages any symptoms and may require hospitalization. Antiviral drugs are available for the treatment of chronic Hepatitis B, but often these medications do not cure a person, but rather help to slow progression towards more serious liver disease such as cirrhosis.
Prevention
The Hepatitis B vaccine is a series of shots that stimulate a person’s natural immune system to protect against Hepatitis B.
Hepatitis B vaccination is recommended for:
- All infants, starting with the first dose at birth
- All children and adolescents younger than 19 years of age who have not been vaccinated
- People whose sex partners have Hepatitis B
- Sexually active persons who are not in a long-term, mutually monogamous relationship
- Persons seeking evaluation or treatment for a sexually transmitted disease
- Men who have sex with other men
- People who share needles, syringes, or other druginjection equipment
- People who have close household contact with someone infected with Hepatitis B
- Healthcare and public safety workers at risk for exposure to blood or blood-contaminated body fluids on the job
- People with end-stage renal disease, including predialysis, hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, and home dialysis patients
- Residents and staff of facilities for developmentally disabled persons
- Travelers to regions with moderate or high rates of Hepatitis B
- People with chronic liver disease
- People with HIV infection
- Anyone who wishes to be protected from Hepatitis B virus infection
Additional Resources