Hepatitis B

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

Many people who have an acute hepatitis B infection don't have symptoms. But if you do have symptoms, they may include:

• Extreme tiredness (fatigue).
• Mild fever.
• Headache.
• Loss of appetite, nausea, and vomiting.
• Constant discomfort on the right side of the belly under the rib cage. (That's where the liver is located.)
• Tan-colored bowel movements (stools).
• Dark urine.
• Jaundice. This means that the skin and whites of the eyes look yellow. Jaundice is a major sign of liver damage. It usually appears after other symptoms have started to go away.

A 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 do tests to check for liver damage.

Treatment of a hepatitis B infection depends on how active the virus is. It also depends on whether you are at risk for liver damage such as cirrhosis.

Treatment of short-term (acute) hepatitis B

If you haven't had a hepatitis B vaccine and think you may have been exposed to the virus, you should get a shot of hepatitis B immunoglobulin (HBIG). You should also get the first of three shots of the hepatitis B vaccine. Make sure to get this treatment within 7 days after a needle stick and within 2 weeks after sexual contact that may have exposed you to the virus.

In some cases, you may get medicine to treat an acute infection. But this usually isn't done unless you are very sick.

Treatment of long-term (chronic) hepatitis B

The goal of treatment is to stop liver damage by keeping the virus from multiplying.

Antiviral medicine is used if the virus is active and you are at risk for liver damage.