What is Hepatitis B?

Hepatitis is a viral disease that causes inflammation in the liver. The liver is a vital and important organ that processes nutrients, fights infections and filters blood throughout the body. When it’s inflamed or damaged, the liver has trouble working as it should.

Hepatitis B is spread through exposure to bodily fluids of an infected person through sexual contact or sharing drugs or needles with infected blood. It can also be spread from a pregnant woman to her unborn child. There are two types of hepatitis B: acute and chronic.

Acute hepatitis B is a short-term illness. Four out of five infected adults are able to recover from the illness in a reasonable amount of time.

Chronic hepatitis B means the illness is long-lasting, and a person is unable to clear the infection from their bodies within six months or longer. Chronic hepatitis B can lead to more serious illnesses and potentially death.

What are the symptoms and complications
of hepatitis B?

Many people infected with hepatitis B do not experience any symptoms. Symptoms can appear any time between eight weeks and five months after exposure, but on average will show up around 90 days after exposure. Symptoms can last several weeks, and some people may feel sick for several months.

Symptoms of hepatitis B include:

  • Yellow skin or eyes
  • Loss of appetite
  • Fatigue
  • Stomach pain or upset stomach
  • Vomiting or diarrhea
  • Fever
  • Joint pain
  • Dark urine or light-colored stools

Most people with chronic hepatitis B do not feel sick and remain symptom free for years, if not decades. When the symptoms do appear, they are similar to acute hepatitis but can also be an indication of more advanced liver disease, like cirrhosis (scarring) of the liver or liver cancer. These can eventually lead to liver failure and death.

People with chronic hepatitis B are also at risk of conditions like kidney disease or inflammation of blood vessels.

Who should get the hepatitis B vaccine?

The CDC recommends all newborns receive the vaccine at birth, followed by completion of the series.

It is also recommended that the following people be vaccinated against hepatitis B:

  • Children and adolescents not vaccinated at birth

People at higher risk for hepatitis B

  • Persons with other chronic liver diseases, end-stage renal (kidney) disease or with HIV/AIDS
  • Travelers to and from areas of the world that have high rates of hepatitis B infection
  • People who inject illegal drugs or share needles and syringes
  • People with multiple sexual partners
  • Men who have sex with men
  • Sexual partners of infected people and people who live with someone who has hepatitis B
  • People who are exposed to blood and other bodily fluids, including healthcare and public safety professionals
  • People who work or live in a center for people who are developmentally disabled

Talk with your healthcare provider about whether or not you should get the hepatitis B vaccine.

Is the hepatitis B vaccine safe?

Vaccination is safe and effective and is the best way to protect yourself against hepatitis B. The hepatitis B vaccine has been used routinely since 1991 and is typically given as three or four injections over a six-month period.

Most people do not experience any side effects from the vaccine. The most common side effect is soreness at the site of the injection.

You cannot get hepatitis B from the vaccine.

Additional Resources

Louisiana Department of Health


Other Resources