Hepatitis B

Hepatitis B is a liver infection that spreads through blood and body fluids. In adults it often causes no symptoms, and it usually passes in a few months without treatment. In children it often lasts for years and may eventually cause serious liver damage.

Many people with hepatitis B won't have any symptoms at all. If you do develop them, they usually show up 2 or 3 months after you've been exposed to the hepatitis B virus.

The symptoms of hepatitis B include:

• tiredness
• a high temperature (fever) of 38°C (100.4°F) or above
• general aches and pains
• loss of appetite
• feeling and being sick
• diarrhoea
• abdominal pain
• yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice)

• you think you may have been exposed to the hepatitis B virus, because emergency treatment can help prevent infection if it's given within a few days of exposure
• you have symptoms of hepatitis B
• you're at high risk of hepatitis B

A blood test can show whether you have hepatitis B, or whether you've had it in the past. Your doctor may also suggest the hepatitis B vaccine, which can lower your risk of getting the infection.

How you treat hepatitis B depends on how long you've had the infection.

If you've been exposed to the hepatitis B virus in the last few days, emergency treatment can help stop you from becoming infected.

Acute hepatitis B means you've had the infection for only a few weeks or months. At this stage you may need treatment just to ease your symptoms, while your body fights off the infection on its own.

Chronic hepatitis B means you've had the infection for more than 6 months. You may be offered medicines that can keep the virus under control and lower the risk of liver damage.

Chronic hepatitis B often needs:

• long-term or lifelong treatment
• regular checks for any further liver problems

The hepatitis B virus is found in the blood, semen, vaginal fluids and other bodily fluids of a person who has the infection. It can spread in several ways:

• from a mother to her newborn baby, particularly in countries where the infection is common
• within families, from child to child, in countries where the infection is common
• by injecting drugs and sharing needles and other drug equipment, such as spoons and filters
• by having sex with an infected person without using a condom
• through a tattoo, body piercing, or medical or dental treatment done with unsterilised equipment
• by sharing toothbrushes, razors or scissors that have infected blood on them

Hepatitis B is not spread by kissing, holding hands, hugging, coughing or sneezing. You also can't catch it by sharing crockery and utensils.

A vaccine that protects against hepatitis B is available for all babies born in the UK on or after 1 August 2017. It's also available for people at high risk of the infection, or at high risk of complications from it.

People at high risk of hepatitis B include:

• babies born to mothers with hepatitis B
• close family and sexual partners of someone with hepatitis B
• people travelling to a part of the world where hepatitis B is widespread
• families adopting or fostering children from high-risk countries
• people who inject drugs or have a sexual partner who injects drugs
• people who change their sexual partner often
• men who have sex with men
• male and female sex workers
• people whose job puts them at risk of contact with blood or body fluids, such as nurses, prison staff, doctors, dentists and laboratory staff
• people with chronic liver disease
• people with chronic kidney disease
• people in prison
• people receiving regular blood or blood products, and their carers

If you have hepatitis B, there are things you can do yourself, alongside medical treatment, to help ease the symptoms and stop the infection spreading to others.

• eat a healthy and balanced diet
• rest and stay hydrated
• take painkillers like paracetamol and ibuprofen, but ask your doctor how much paracetamol you should take, as you may not be able to take a normal dose
• keep your room well ventilated, wear loose clothing and avoid hot showers and baths if you feel itchy
• speak to your doctor if you're thinking of having a baby

• don't have unprotected sex, and that includes anal and oral sex
• don't drink alcohol, because it can increase your risk of developing serious liver problems
• don't share toothbrushes, razors or needles with other people

Your close contacts, such as family members, may need to be vaccinated.

Most people don't have any lasting problems after a hepatitis B infection. In some patients, though, chronic hepatitis B can damage the liver (this is called cirrhosis) and raise your risk of getting liver cancer.

All patients with chronic hepatitis B should be followed up in specialist clinics. If it's needed, treatment can control the hepatitis B infection and prevent serious complications.

Hepatitis B is more common in people who are living with HIV. If you have been diagnosed with hepatitis B, you should be offered an HIV test. If you haven't been offered one, you can:

• speak to your doctor about getting tested for HIV
• get a free test using one of these options

Having an HIV test when you have hepatitis B can help with early diagnosis, early treatment and stopping the virus being passed on.