Hepatitis B Information - Hepatitis B Testing

 

You can have hepatitis B and not know it. You may not have symptoms. If you do, they can make you feel like you have the flu. But as long as you have the virus, you can spread it to others. Sometimes the virus does not go away. This is called chronic hepatitis B. Over time, it can damage your liver. Babies and young children infected with the virus are more likely to get chronic hepatitis B.

 

What causes Hepatitis B?

 

Hepatitis B is caused by the hepatitis B virus. It is spread through contact with the blood and body fluids of an infected person. You can get Hepatitis B if you: Have sex without using a condom, Share needles to inject drugs, Get a tattoo or piercing with tools that were not cleaned right, Share personal items like razors or toothbrushes.

Symptoms of Hepatitis B

 

Many people with hepatitis B do not know they have it, because they do not have symptoms. If you do have symptoms, you may just feel like you have the flu. Symptoms include: Feeling very tired, Mild fever, Headache, Not wanting to eat, Feeling sick to your stomach or vomiting, Belly pain, Diarrhea or constipation, Muscle aches and joint pain, Skin rash, Yellowish eyes and skin (jaundice). Jaundice usually appears only after other symptoms have started to go away.