Hepatitis B

On this page

Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Diagnosis and Tests
• Prevention and Risk Factors
• Treatments and Therapies

Learn More

• Living With
• Related Issues

See, Play and Learn

• Health Check Tools
• Videos and Tutorials

Research

• Statistics and Research
• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Reference Desk
• Find an Expert

For You

• Children
• Teenagers
• Men
• Women
• Patient Handouts

Summary

Your liver is the largest organ inside your body. It helps your body digest food, store energy, and remove poisons. Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver. One type, hepatitis B, is caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV). Hepatitis B spreads by contact with an infected person's blood, semen, or other body fluid. An infected woman can give hepatitis B to her baby at birth.

If you get HBV, you may feel as if you have the flu. You may also have jaundice, a yellowing of skin and eyes, dark-colored urine, and pale bowel movements. Some people have no symptoms at all. A blood test can tell if you have it. HBV usually gets better on its own after a few months. If it does not get better, it is called chronic HBV, which lasts a lifetime. Chronic HBV can lead to cirrhosis (scarring of the liver), liver failure, or liver cancer.

There is a vaccine for HBV. It requires three shots. All babies should get the vaccine, but older children and adults can get it too. If you travel to countries where Hepatitis B is common, you should get the vaccine.

NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Start Here

• Hepatitis B (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
• Hepatitis B (Department of Veterans Affairs)
• Hepatitis B (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish
• Hepatitis B FAQs for the Public (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Diagnosis and Tests

• Hepatitis B Test (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
• Hepatitis Testing: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Liver Function Tests: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Screening for Hepatitis B Virus Infection in Nonpregnant Adolescents and Adults (U.S. Preventive Services Task Force) - PDF

Prevention and Risk Factors

• Hepatitis B (National Foundation for Infectious Diseases)
• Hepatitis B Vaccine: What You Need to Know (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF
• Prevention Tips (Hepatitis B Foundation)

Treatments and Therapies

• Approved Drugs for Adults (Hepatitis B Foundation)
• Treatment Options (Hepatitis B Foundation) - PDF

Living With

• Adult Living with Hepatitis B (Hepatitis B Foundation) - PDF
• If You Have Chronic Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) Infection (Immunization Action Coalition) - PDF

Related Issues

• Diabetes and Hepatitis B Vaccination (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Hepatitis B & C and HIV (AIDS.gov)
• Hepatitis B Vaccine and Multiple Sclerosis (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Hepatitis B: What Asian and Pacific Islander Americans Need to Know (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
• HIV and Hepatitis B (AIDSinfo) Also in Spanish
• HIV/AIDS Coinfection (Hepatitis B Foundation)
• Know HBV: What Every Asian and Pacific Islander Should Know About Hepatitis B and Liver Cancer (Stanford University, Asian Liver Center) - PDF
• Know Hepatitis B Questions and Answers for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Liver Cancer and Hepatitis B (Hepatitis B Foundation)
• Travelers' Health: Hepatitis B (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• When Someone Close to You Has Chronic Hepatitis B (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF

Health Check Tools

• Hepatitis Risk Assessment (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Videos and Tutorials

• One Family's Struggles with Hepatitis B (Parents of Kids with Infectious Diseases)

Statistics and Research

• FastStats: Viral Hepatitis (National Center for Health Statistics)
• Surveillance for Viral Hepatitis - United States, 2014 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Hepatitis B (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Entecavir-based combination therapies for chronic hepatitis B: A meta-analysis.
• Article: Oral oxymatrine for hepatitis B cirrhosis: A systematic review protocol.
• Article: Telbivudine and adefovir dipivoxil combination therapy improves renal function in...
• Hepatitis B -- see more articles

Reference Desk

• Hepatitis B Foundation Newsletter: B Informed (Hepatitis B Foundation)

Find an Expert

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Also in Spanish
• Hepatitis B Foundation
• National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
• National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Children

• Advice for Parents (Hepatitis B Foundation)
• Brief Introduction to Hepatitis B for Parents of Adopted Children (Immunization Action Coalition) - PDF
• Hepatitis (Nemours Foundation)
• Hepatitis B Shots Are Recommended for All New Babies (Immunization Action Coalition) - PDF

Teenagers

• Hepatitis B (HBV) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Men

• Protect Yourself against Hepatitis A and B: A Guide for Gay and Bisexual Men (Immunization Action Coalition) - PDF Also in Spanish

Women

• Protect Your Baby for Life: When a Pregnant Woman Has Hepatitis B (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF

Patient Handouts

• Hepatitis B (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Hepatitis B (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish
• Hepatitis B -- children (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Hepatitis B Vaccine: What You Need to Know (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF
• Hepatitis virus panel (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Preventing hepatitis B or C (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish