Jaundice is usually associated with dark urine and light or clay colored stools . The overall incidence of reported hepatitis B is 2 per 10,000 individuals, but the true incidence may be higher, because many cases do not cause symptoms and go undiagnosed and unreported. Pregnant women are now routinely screened for hepatitis B and, as it is a reportable disease , more accurate figures are available. People at highest risk for acquiring hepatitis B infection continue to be those who are homosexual or bisexual, IV drug users, and female partners of these individuals. There is no specific treatment for acute hepatitis.
Rest is recommended during the acute phase of the disease when the symptoms are most severe.
Some people with chronic hepatitis may respond to alpha-interferon therapy. The acute illness usually subsides after 2 to 3 weeks, and the liver returns to normal within 16 weeks. There is a higher incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma in those who have had hepatitis B virus infection than in the general population. Call your health care provider if symptoms of hepatitis B develop. Call for an appointment with your health care provider if hepatitis B symptoms do not resolve in 2 or 3 weeks, or if new symptoms develop.