Hepatitis B

What I need to know about
 

Hepatitis B 

U.S. Department 

of Health and 

Human Services 

NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH 

National Digestive Diseases 

Information Clearinghouse 

 

What I need to know about 

Hepatitis B 

U.S. Department 


of Health and
 

Human Services
 

NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH 

National Digestive Diseases 

Information Clearinghouse

Contents
 

What is hepatitis B? ................................................ 1
 

What is the liver?..................................................... 1
 

What causes hepatitis B?........................................ 2
 

Who gets hepatitis B? ............................................. 2
 

How could I get hepatitis B?.................................. 3
 

What are the symptoms of hepatitis B? ................ 4
 

What is chronic hepatitis B? .................................. 5
 

How is hepatitis B diagnosed? ............................... 6
 

How is hepatitis B treated? .................................... 7
 

How can I avoid getting hepatitis B?..................... 8
 

What should I do if I think I have 


been exposed to the hepatitis B virus?................ 10
 

Points to Remember ............................................. 10
 

Hope through Research ....................................... 12
 

Pronunciation Guide............................................. 13
 

For More Information .......................................... 14
 

Acknowledgments ................................................. 16
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What is hepatitis B? 

Hepatitis B is a liver disease. Hepatitis* means 

inflammation of the liver. Inflammation is the 

painful, red swelling that results when tissues of the 

body become injured or infected. Inflammation 

can cause organs to not work properly. 

What is the liver? 

The liver is an organ that does many important 


things.
 

The liver 

● removes harmful chemicals from your blood 

● fights infection 

● helps digest food 

● stores nutrients and 

vitamins 

● stores energy 

You cannot live without 

a liver. 

*See page 13 for tips 

on how to say the 

words in bold type. 

Esophagus

Stomach 

Liver Large

intestine 

Small 

intestine

Hepatitis B is a liver disease. 

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What causes hepatitis B? 

The hepatitis B virus causes hepatitis B. Viruses 

are germs that can cause sickness. For example, 

the flu is caused by a virus. People can pass viruses 

to each other. 

Who gets hepatitis B? 

Anyone can get hepatitis B, but some people are at 

higher risk, including 

●	 people who were born to a mother with 


hepatitis B
 

●	 people who live with someone who has 

hepatitis B 

●	 people who have lived in parts of the world 

where hepatitis B is common 

●	 people who are exposed to blood or body fluids 

at work 

●	 people on hemodialysis 

●	 people who have had more than one sex partner 

in the last 6 months or have a history of sexually 

transmitted disease 

●	 injection drug users 

●	 men who have sex with men 

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How could I get hepatitis B? 

You could get hepatitis B through contact with an 

infected person’s blood, semen, or other body fluid. 

You could get hepatitis B from 

●	 being born to a mother with hepatitis B 

●	 having sex with an infected person 

●	 being tattooed or pierced with unsterilized tools 

that were used on an infected person 

●	 getting an accidental needle stick with a needle 

that was used on an infected person 

●	 using an infected person’s razor or toothbrush 

●	 sharing drug needles with an infected person 

You could get hepatitis B from having sex 

with an infected person. 

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You cannot get hepatitis B from 

●	 shaking hands with an infected person 

●	 hugging an infected person 

●	 sitting next to an infected person 

What are the symptoms of 


hepatitis B?
 

Hepatitis B usually has no symptoms. Adults and 

children ages 5 and older sometimes have one or 

more of the following symptoms: 

●	 yellowish eyes and skin, called jaundice 

●	 a longer than usual amount of time for bleeding 

to stop 

●	 swollen stomach or ankles 

●	 easy bruising 

●	 tiredness 

●	 upset stomach 

●	 fever 

●	 loss of appetite 

●	 diarrhea 

●	 light-colored stools 

●	 dark yellow urine 

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What is chronic hepatitis B? 

Hepatitis B is chronic 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 scarring of the liver, called 

cirrhosis; liver cancer; and liver failure. 

Symptoms of cirrhosis include 

●	 yellowish eyes and skin, called jaundice 

●	 a longer than usual amount of time for bleeding 

to stop 

●	 swollen stomach or ankles 

●	 tiredness 

● nausea 

●	 weakness 

●	 loss of appetite 

●	 weight loss 

●	 spiderlike blood vessels, called spider angiomas, 

that develop on the skin 

5 
 

 

 

 

How is hepatitis B diagnosed? 

Hepatitis B is diagnosed through blood tests, which 

can also show if you have chronic hepatitis B or 

another type of hepatitis. 

Your doctor may suggest getting a liver biopsy if 

chronic hepatitis B is suspected. A liver biopsy is a 

test for liver damage. The doctor uses a needle to 

remove a tiny piece of liver, which is then looked at 

with a microscope. 

Blood is drawn for hepatitis B testing. 

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How is hepatitis B treated? 

Hepatitis B usually is not treated unless it becomes 

chronic. 

Chronic hepatitis B is treated with drugs that slow 

or stop the virus from damaging the liver. The 

length of treatment varies. Your doctor will help 

you decide which drug or drug combination is 

likely to work for you and will closely watch your 

symptoms to make sure treatment is working. 

Drugs given by shots include 

● interferon 

● peginterferon 

Drugs taken by mouth include 

● lamivudine 

● telbivudine 

● adefovir 

● entecavir 

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Liver Transplantation 

A liver transplant may be necessary if 

chronic hepatitis B causes liver failure. Liver 

transplantation surgery replaces a failed liver with 

a healthy one from a donor. Medicines taken after 

surgery can prevent hepatitis B from coming back. 

How can I avoid getting hepatitis B? 

You can avoid getting hepatitis B by getting the 

hepatitis B vaccine. 

Vaccines are medicines that keep you from getting 

sick. Vaccines teach your body to attack specific 

germs. The hepatitis B vaccine teaches your body 

to attack the hepatitis B virus. 

Adults at higher risk of getting hepatitis B and 

all children should get the vaccine. The hepatitis B 

vaccine is given through three shots over a period 

of several months. 

There is no minimum 

age for vaccination. 

The second shot 

should be given at 

least 1 month after 

the first, and the last 

shot should be given 

at least 2 months 

The hepatitis B vaccine protects 

you from infection. 

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after the second shot but no sooner than 4 months 

after the first. The hepatitis B vaccine is safe for 

pregnant women. 

You need all three shots to be fully protected. If 

you are traveling to a country 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 

go, get as many as you can. One shot may provide 

some protection against the virus. 

You can also protect yourself and others from 

hepatitis B if you 

●	 use a condom during sex 

●	 do not share drug needles 

●	 wear gloves if you have 

to touch another person’s 

blood 

●	 do not borrow another 

person’s toothbrush, razor, 

or anything else that could 

have blood on it 

●	 make sure any tattoos or 

body piercings you get are 

done with sterile tools 

●	 do not donate blood or blood products if you 

have hepatitis B 

Wear gloves if you 

have to touch another 

person’s blood. 

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What should I do if I think I have been 

exposed to the hepatitis B virus? 

See your doctor right away if you think you 

have been exposed to the hepatitis B virus. The 

first shot of the hepatitis B vaccine taken with a 

medicine called hepatitis B immune globulin may 

prevent you from getting sick. 

If you are at higher risk of hepatitis B, get tested. 

Many people do not know they are infected. Early 

diagnosis and treatment can help prevent liver 

damage. 

Points to Remember 

●	 Hepatitis B is a liver disease caused by the 


hepatitis B virus.
 

●	 Anyone can get hepatitis B, but some people are 

at higher risk. 

●	 You could get hepatitis B through contact with 

an infected person’s blood, semen, or other body 

fluid. 

●	 Hepatitis B usually has no symptoms. 

●	 Adults and children ages 5 and older sometimes 

have jaundice or other symptoms. 

10
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

●	 Hepatitis B usually is not treated unless it 

becomes chronic. 

●	 Hepatitis B is chronic when the body can’t get 

rid of the hepatitis B virus. 

●	 Children, especially infants, are more likely to 

develop chronic hepatitis B. 

●	 Chronic hepatitis B is treated with drugs that 

slow or stop the virus from damaging the liver. 

●	 You can protect yourself from getting hepatitis B 

by getting the hepatitis B vaccine. 

●	 See your doctor right away if you think you’ve 

been exposed to the hepatitis B virus. 

●	 If you are at higher risk of hepatitis B, get tested. 

Many people do not know they are infected. 

Early diagnosis and treatment can help prevent 

liver damage. 

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Hope through Research 

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive 

and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) conducts and 

supports basic and clinical research into many 

digestive disorders, including hepatitis B. NIDDK 

scientists are researching better strategies for using 

antiviral medicines to treat hepatitis B. 

Participants in clinical trials can play a more 

active role in their own health care, gain access to 

new research treatments before they are widely 

available, and help others by contributing to 

medical research. For information about current 

studies, visit www.ClinicalTrials.gov. 

12
 
Pronunciation Guide 

adefovir (ad-DEF-oh-vihr) 

angiomas (an-jee-OH-muhs) 

biopsy (BY-op-see) 

chronic (KRON-ik) 

cirrhosis (sur-ROH-siss) 

entecavir (INT-ih-CAH-vihr) 

hepatitis (HEP-uh-TY-tiss) 

inflammation (IN-fluh-MAY-shuhn) 

interferon (IN-tur-FIHR-on) 

jaundice (JAWN-diss) 

lamivudine (luh-MIH-vyoo-deen) 

peginterferon (PEG-IN-tur-FIHR-on) 

telbivudine (tel-BIH-vyoo-deen) 

vaccine (vak-SEEN) 

virus (VY-ruhss) 

13 
 

 

For More Information 

American Liver Foundation 

75 Maiden Lane, Suite 603 

New York, NY 10038–4810 

Phone: 1–800–GO–LIVER (1–800–465–4837)

 or 212–668–1000 

Fax: 212–483–8179 

Email: info@liverfoundation.org 

Internet: www.liverfoundation.org 

Hepatitis B Foundation 

3805 Old Easton Road 

Doylestown, PA 18902 

Phone: 215–489–4900 

Fax: 215–489–4913 

Email: info@hepb.org 

Internet: www.hepb.org 

Hepatitis Foundation International 

504 Blick Drive 

Silver Spring, MD 20904–2901 

Phone: 1–800–891–0707 or 301–622–4200 

Fax: 301–622–4702 

Email: hfi@comcast.net 

Internet: www.hepfi.org 

14
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, 

STD, and TB Prevention 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 

1600 Clifton Road 

Atlanta, GA 30333 

Phone: 1–800–311–3435 or 404–639–3534 

Email: cdcinfo@cdc.gov 

Internet: www.cdc.gov/nchhstp 

Other types of hepatitis exist. The National 

Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse 

(NDDIC) also has booklets about hepatitis A and 

hepatitis C: 

●	 What I need to know 

about Hepatitis A 

●	 What I need to know 

about Hepatitis C 

You can get a free 

copy of each booklet 

by calling 

1–800–891–5389, 

by going online to 

www.catalog.niddk.nih.gov, or by writing to 

NDDIC 

2 Information Way 

Bethesda, MD 20892–3570 

Hepatitis information for health professionals is 

also available. 

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Acknowledgments 

Publications produced by the Clearinghouse are 

carefully reviewed by both NIDDK scientists 

and outside experts. The individuals listed here 

provided editorial guidance or facilitated fieldtesting for the original version of this publication. 

The NDDIC would like to thank these individuals 

for their contribution. 

Bruce Bacon, M.D. 

American Liver Foundation 

New York, NY 

Theo Heller, M.D. 

NIDDK, National Institutes of Health 

Bethesda, MD 

Luby Garza-Abijaoude, M.S., R.D., L.D. 

Texas Department of Health 

Austin, TX 

Thelma Thiel, R.N. 

Hepatitis Foundation International 

Cedar Grove, NJ 

16
 
National Digestive Diseases 

Information Clearinghouse 

2 Information Way 

Bethesda, MD 20892–3570 

Phone: 1–800–891–5389 

TTY: 1–866–569–1162 

Fax: 703–738–4929 

Email: nddic@info.niddk.nih.gov 

Internet: www.digestive.niddk.nih.gov 

The National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse 

(NDDIC) is a service of the National Institute of Diabetes and 

Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). The NIDDK is part of 

the National Institutes of Health of the U.S. Department of Health 

and Human Services. Established in 1980, the Clearinghouse 

provides information about digestive diseases to people with 

digestive disorders and to their families, health care professionals, 

and the public. The NDDIC answers inquiries, develops and 

distributes publications, and works closely with professional and 

patient organizations and Government agencies to coordinate 

resources about digestive diseases. 

This publication is not copyrighted. The Clearinghouse 

encourages users of this booklet to duplicate and distribute as 

many copies as desired. 

This booklet is also available at www.digestive.niddk.nih.gov. 

This publication may contain information about medications. 

When prepared, this publication included the most current 

information available. For updates or for questions about any 

medications, contact the U.S. Food and Drug Administration 

toll-free at 1–888–INFO–FDA (1–888–463–6332) or visit 

www.fda.gov. Consult your doctor for more information. 
U.S. DEpArTmENT OF HEALTH 

AND HUmAN SErvICES 

National Institutes of Health 

NIH Publication No. 09–4228 

April 2009