Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver. Several different viruses cause viral hepatitis. They are named the hepatitis A, B, C, D, and E viruses.

All of these viruses cause acute, or short-term, viral hepatitis. The hepatitis B, C, and D viruses can also cause chronic hepatitis, in which the infection is prolonged, sometimes lifelong.

Other viruses may also cause hepatitis, but they have yet to be discovered and they are obviously rare causes of the disease.

Symptoms of Viral Hepatitis

Symptoms include
	jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes)
	fatigue
	abdominal pain
	loss of appetite
	nausea
	vomiting
	diarrhea
	low grade fever
	headache

However, some people do not have symptoms.

What is hepatitis B?

Hepatitis B is a liver disease.

Hepatitis makes your liver swell and stops it from working right.

You need a healthy liver. The liver does many things to keep you alive. The liver fights infections and stops bleeding. It removes drugs and other poisons from your blood. The liver also stores energy for when you need it.

Hepatitis B is caused by a virus.

A virus is a germ that causes sickness. (For example, the flu is caused by a virus.) People can pass viruses to each other. The virus that causes hepatitis B is called the hepatitis B virus.

How could I get hepatitis B?

Hepatitis B spreads by contact with an infected person's blood, semen, or other body fluid.

You could get hepatitis B by
	having sex with an infected person without using a condom
	sharing drug needles
	having a tattoo or body piercing done with dirty tools that were used on someone else
	getting pricked with a needle that has infected blood on it (health care workers can get hepatitis B this way)
	living with someone who has hepatitis B
	sharing a toothbrush or razor with an infected person
	traveling to countries where hepatitis B is common

An infected woman can give hepatitis B to her baby at birth or through her breast milk.

You can NOT get hepatitis B by
	shaking hands with an infected person
	hugging an infected person
	sitting next to an infected person

Hepatitis B can make you feel like you have the flu.

You might
	feel tired
	feel sick to your stomach
	have a fever
	not want to eat
	have stomach pain
	have diarrhea

Some people have
	dark yellow urine
	light-colored stools
	yellowish eyes and skin

If you have symptoms or think you might have hepatitis B, go to a doctor.

What are the tests for hepatitis B?

To check for hepatitis B, the doctor will test your blood.

These tests show if you have hepatitis B and how serious it is.

A biopsy is a simple test. The doctor removes a tiny piece of your liver through a needle. The doctor checks the piece of liver for signs of hepatitis B and liver damage.

How is hepatitis B treated?

Treatment for hepatitis B may involve
	A drug called interferon (in-ter-FEAR-on). It is given through shots. Most people are treated for 4 months.
	A drug called lamivudine (la-MIV-you-deen). You take it by mouth once a day. Treatment is usually for one year.
	A drug called adefovir dipivoxil (uh-DEH-foh-veer dih-pih-VOX-ill). You take it by mouth once a day. Treatment is usually for one year.
	Surgery. Over time, hepatitis B may cause your liver to stop working. If that happens, you will need a new liver. The surgery is called a liver transplant. It involves taking out the old, damaged liver and putting in a new, healthy one from a donor.

How can I protect myself?

You can get the hepatitis B vaccine.

A vaccine is a drug that you take when you are healthy that keeps you from getting sick. Vaccines teach your body to attack certain viruses, like the hepatitis B virus.

The hepatitis B vaccine is given through three shots. All babies should get the vaccine. Infants get the first shot within 12 hours after birth. They get the second shot at age 1 to 2 months and the third shot between ages 6 and 18 months.

Older children and adults can get the vaccine, too. They get three shots over 6 months. Children who have not had the vaccine should get it.

You need all of the shots to be protected. If you are traveling to other countries, make sure you get all the shots before you go. If you miss a shot, call your doctor or clinic right away to set up a new appointment.

You can also protect yourself and others from hepatitis B if you
	use a condom when you have sex
	don't share drug needles with anyone
	wear gloves if you have to touch anyone's blood
	don't use an infected person's toothbrush, razor, or anything else that could have blood on it
	make sure any tattooing or body piercing is done with clean tools

Hepatitis B

Disease Spread

Through contact with infected blood, through sex with an infected person, and from mother to child during childbirth.

People who have sex with an infected person, men who have sex with men, injection drug users, children of immigrants from disease-endemic areas, infants born to infected mothers, people who live with an infected person, health care workers, hemodialysis patients, people who received a transfusion of blood or blood products before July 1992 or clotting factors made before 1987, and international travelers.

The hepatitis B vaccine.

For chronic hepatitis B: drug treatment with alpha interferon, peginterferon, lamivudine, or adefovir dipivoxil.

Acute hepatitis B usually resolves on its own. Very severe cases can be treated with lamivudine.