What is Hepatitis B?

Hepatitis B is a blood borne virus that can infect the liver. Hepatitis B can cause an acute or chronic illness. An acute illness is one which lasts for less than 6 months. A chronic illness is one that lasts more than 6 months.

Symptoms of Hepatitis B

After the virus enters your body there may be no symptoms for one to six months, this is the incubation period.

Some people may only have mild illness and may not need any intervention.

Important advice:

Some of the symptoms of Hepatitis B are:

  • Tiredness
  • Aches and pains
  • Fever
  • Loss of appetite
  • Nausea and sickness
  • Stomach ache
Important advice:

More severe symptoms include:

  • Diarrhoea
  • Bowel movements becoming pale
  • Urine may turn dark
  • Jaundice, a condition which the whites of eyes go yellow and in some cases the skin may also turn yellow.

How do you become infected?

Hepatitis B is often transmitted to people from their mother during childbirth, or as a young child from contact with other infected people in countries with a high incidence of Hepatitis B, such as South-east Asia, Indian sub continent, Middle and Far East, Southern Europe and Africa.

Other ways Hepatitis B can be passed on are:

  • Unprotected sex, particularly sex between men
  • Blood transfusions before September 1996 and medical or dental operations (the UK has processes to stop viruses like hepatitis B being passed on)
  • Having a tattoo, piercing, or treatments such as Botox or steroid injections with equipment that is shared or not clean
  • Needlestick injuries in hospitals, clinics, laboratories and similar places
  • Sharing needles or other things to take drugs such as straws or bank notes
  • Sharing personal items like razors or toothbrushes

You cannot catch Hepatitis B from the following ways:

  • Kissing
  • Social contact, such as hugging
  • Sharing kitchen utensils
  • Toilet seats

Testing for Hepatitis B

There is a simple test to find out whether you have the virus, and an effective vaccine is available to protect you from Hepatitis B which has been given to all children born in the UK since 2017.

You can have a blood test at a GP surgery, a hospital clinic or a sexual health clinic.

Your results, whether positive or negative, should be available within a few days. If your test result is positive your GP or healthcare worker will refer you to a liver specialist.

Treatment for Hepatitis B

Not everyone with a hepatitis B infection needs treatment. You should see a GP as soon as you think you have been exposed to the virus. How your case is managed depends on:

  • whether the infection is acute or chronic
  • how active the virus is
  • whether your liver is damaged
  • if you are at risk of developing serious liver disease for other reasons
  • if left untreated over many years Hepatitis B can lead to serious liver damage, called cirrhosis. If you have cirrhosis, treating the virus can often reverse some of this damage. You might need to have extra tests at some of your regular check-ups.

Acute hepatitis B usually clears up by itself. Whilst you’re infected it’s important to help protect people.

Let people close to you, like those you live with, know what is happening. You could ask them to read this page to help explain. They can get a free test and vaccine from their GP to help protect them.

There is no known cure for chronic hepatitis B. If treatment is required, this will be initiated by a specialist at the hospital.   It will usually be a daily tablet, which you will need to take indefinitely.

Further Information

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