Hepatitis B

Who is the leaflet for?

Patients newly diagnosed with hepatitis B.

What is its aim?

To provide information on hepatitis B and links to more detailed resources.

What is hepatitis B?

Hepatitis B is a virus that can cause liver inflammation and liver damage. Most patients (particularly adults) will have a self-resolving illness and the hepatitis B virus is completely cleared by the immune system, whilst others (particularly infants and children) can develop a long term chronic infection.

How common is hepatitis B?

Chronic hepatitis B is thought to affect around 1 person in 350 in the UK, but is much more common in parts of Asia and Africa.

How is hepatitis B spread?

The hepatitis B virus can be spread by direct contact with blood and bodily fluids, either from mother to baby or person to person. It is unclear whether spread from mother to baby occurs before or during childbirth, but maternal treatment and vaccination of babies after childbirth are effective in limiting this mode of transmission. Indeed, for this reason all women in the UK are tested for hepatitis B in early pregnancy.

The hepatitis B virus can be spread from person to person by having unprotected sex with an infected person, or by contact with infected blood. Contact with infected blood may have occured by blood transfusion before 1992, by sharing contaminated needles and needle stick injuries.

What symptoms does hepatitis B cause?

Acute hepatitis b

Hepatitis B is a complicated virus and symptoms depend on the type of infection.

Short term infection (acute hepatitis B) may be symptom free or cause symptoms within one to six months of contracting the virus. These symptoms include nausea, abdominal pain, high temperatures and generally feeling unwell. Yellow jaundice may occur. The condition is usually self-limiting and completely resolves in over 95 out of 100 cases in adults. No specific treatments are required.

Chronic hepatitis B

When hepatitis B is not resolved after six months of diagnosis, the infection is considered chronic.

Chronic hepatitis B does not usually cause symptoms and not all patients will require treatment. About two in three people will remain well in the long-term with chronic hepatitis B and one in five will clear the virus. However, there is still a risk of developing cirrhosis (severe liver scarring), liver failure and liver cancer. This is why it is important to attend your clinic appointments for regular monitoring even when you feel well. Further information sheets are available for cirrhosis and liver cancer

Chronic hepatitis B has several phases. Your own phase will be evaluated through blood tests and liver scans and this will help allow us to make a treatment recommendation.

How is hepatitis B diagnosed?

Hepatitis B is diagnosed and assessed by a combination of blood tests, ultrasound scanning and liver biopsy. The exact investigations will be individually determined. The aim of investigations is to diagnose the condition and assess what stage of the disease a patient is in. Treatment recommendations can then be given.

How is hepatitis B treated?

Treatment includes anti-viral medications such as tenofovir or entecavir, and sometimes an injected treatment called interferon. The exact treatment used is individually determined. Not all patients with chronic hepatitis B require treatment.

Prevention by immunisation and early detection are important.

Further information and useful contacts

• The Hepatitis B Trust - The Hepatitis B Trust (opens in a new tab)
• British Liver Trust - British Liver Trust (opens in a new tab)
• Patient (opens in a new tab)