Hepatitis B Symptoms

• Half of all people infected with the hepatitis B virus have no symptoms.

• Symptoms develop within 30-180 days of exposure to the virus. The symptoms are often compared to flu. Most people think they have flu and never think about having HBV infection.
  • Appetite loss
  • Feeling tired (fatigue)
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Itching all over the body
  • Pain over the liver (on the right side of the abdomen, under the lower rib cage)
  • Jaundice - A condition in which the skin and the whites of the eyes turn yellow in color
  • Urine becomes dark in color (like cola or tea).
  • Stools are pale in color (grayish or clay colored).

• Many types of acute viral hepatitis have similar symptoms (hepatitis A, hepatitis C).

• Fulminant hepatitis is an unusual illness. It is a severe form of acute hepatitis that can be life threatening if not treated right away. The symptoms develop very suddenly.
  • Mental disturbances such as confusion, lethargy, extreme sleepiness or hallucinations (hepatic encephalopathy)
  • Sudden collapse with fatigue
  • Jaundice
  • Swelling of the abdomen

• Prolonged nausea and vomiting can cause dehydration. If you have been vomiting repeatedly, you may notice these symptoms:
  • Feeling tired or weak
  • Feeling confused or having difficulty concentrating
  • Headache
  • Not urinating
  • Irritability

• Symptoms of liver failure may include the following:
  • Fluid retention causing swelling of the belly (ascites) and sometimes the legs
  • Weight gain due to ascites
  • Persistent jaundice
  • Loss of appetite, weight loss, wasting
  • Vomiting with blood in the vomit
  • Bleeding from the nose, mouth, or rectum or blood in the stool
  • Hepatic encephalopathy (excessive sleepiness, mental confusion, and in advanced stages, development of coma)

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