Hepatitis B - Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis & Treatment

How could I get hepatitis B?
You could get hepatitis B through contact with an infected person’s blood, semen, or other body fluid. This contact could occur by:

  • Being born to a mother with hepatitis B
  • Getting an accidental stick with a needle that was used on an infected person
  • Having unprotected sex with an infected person
  • Having contact with blood or open sores of an infected person
  • Sharing drug needles or other drug materials with an infected person
  • Being tattooed or pierced with unsterilized tools that were used on an infected person
  • Using an infected person’s razor, toothbrush, or nail clippers

You cannot get hepatitis B from:

  • Shaking hands or holding hands with an infected person
  • Being coughed or sneezed on by an infected person
  • Hugging an infected person
  • Sitting next to an infected person
  • Sharing spoons, forks, and other eating utensils
  • Drinking water or eating food

A baby cannot get hepatitis B from breast milk.

What are the symptoms of hepatitis B?
Most people do not have any symptoms of hepatitis B. Adults and children ages 5 and older may have one or more of the following symptoms:

  • Feeling tired
  • Muscle soreness
  • Upset stomach
  • Stomach pain
  • Fever
  • Loss of appetite
  • Diarrhea
  • Dark-yellow urine
  • Light-colored stools
  • Yellowish eyes and skin, called jaundice

When symptoms occur, they can begin 2 to 5 months after coming into contact with the virus. See a doctor right away if you or a child in your care has symptoms of hepatitis B.

What is acute hepatitis B?
Acute hepatitis B is a short-term infection with the hepatitis B virus. Symptoms usually last several weeks but they can last up to 6 months. The infection sometimes clears up because your body is able to fight off the infection and get rid of the virus. Most healthy adults and children older than 5 who have hepatitis B get better without treatment.

What is chronic hepatitis B?
Chronic hepatitis B is a long-lasting infection with the hepatitis B virus. Chronic hepatitis B occurs when the body can’t get rid of the hepatitis B virus. Children, especially infants, are more likely to get chronic hepatitis B, which usually has no symptoms until signs of liver damage appear.

Without treatment, chronic hepatitis B can cause liver cancer or severe liver damage that leads to liver failure. Liver failure occurs when the liver stops working properly.

How is hepatitis B diagnosed?
A blood test will show if you have hepatitis B. If you are at higher risk of getting hepatitis B, get tested. If you are pregnant, you should also get tested. Many people with hepatitis B do not know they are infected. Early diagnosis and treatment can help prevent liver damage. Your doctor may suggest getting a liver biopsy if chronic hepatitis B is suspected.

How is hepatitis B treated?
Hepatitis B is not usually treated unless it becomes chronic. Chronic hepatitis B is treated with medicines that slow or stop the virus from damaging the liver.

Medicines for Chronic Hepatitis B
Dr. Jones will choose medicines or a combination of medicines that are likely to work for you. Nacogdoches Gastroenterology will closely monitor your symptoms and schedule regular blood tests to make sure treatment is working.

Medicines given by shots include interferon and peginterferon. Medicines taken by mouth include adefovir, entecavir, lamivudine, telbivudine and tenofovir.

The length of treatment varies. Talk with Dr. Jones before taking other prescription medicines and over-the-counter medicines.

Liver Transplant
A liver transplant may be necessary if chronic hepatitis B causes severe liver damage that leads to liver failure. Symptoms of severe liver damage include the symptoms of hepatitis B and

  • Generalized itching
  • A longer than usual amount of time for bleeding to stop
  • Easy bruising
  • Swollen stomach or ankles
  • Spiderlike blood vessels, called spider angiomas, that develop on the skin

Testing for Liver Cancer
Having hepatitis B increases your risk for getting liver cancer, so Dr. Jones may suggest an ultrasound test of the liver every 6 to 12 months. Finding cancer early makes it more treatable.

How can I avoid getting hepatitis B?
You can avoid getting hepatitis B by receiving the hepatitis B vaccine. Since the 1980s, a hepatitis B vaccine has been available and should be given to newborns and children in the United States. Adults at higher risk of getting hepatitis B should also get the vaccine. The hepatitis B vaccine is given in three shots over 6 months. You must get all three hepatitis B vaccine shots to be fully protected.

If you are traveling to countries where hepatitis B is common, try to get all the shots before you go. If you don’t have time to get all the shots before you travel, get as many as you can. Even one shot may provide some protection against the virus.

You can protect yourself and others from getting hepatitis B if you:

  • Use a condom during sex
  • Do not share drug needles and other drug materials
  • Do not donate blood or blood products
  • Wear gloves if you have to touch another person’s blood or open sores
  • Do not share or borrow a toothbrush, razor, or nail clippers
  • Make sure any tattoos or body piercings you get are done with sterile tools
  • Tell your doctor and your dentist if you have hepatitis B

If you are pregnant and have hepatitis B, tell the doctor and staff who deliver your baby. The hepatitis B vaccine and hepatitis B immune globulin should be given to your baby right after birth. The vaccine will greatly reduce the chance of your baby getting the infection.

What should I do if I think I have been in contact with the hepatitis B virus?
See your doctor right away if you think you have been in contact with the hepatitis B virus. A dose of the hepatitis B vaccine taken with a medicine called hepatitis B immune globulin may protect you from getting sick if taken shortly after coming into contact with the hepatitis B virus.

Eating, Diet, and Nutrition
If you have chronic hepatitis B, you should do things to take care of yourself, including eating a healthy diet. Avoid drinking alcohol, which can harm the liver. Talk with your doctor before taking vitamins and other supplements.