What are the Effects of Hepatitis B?

The effects of hepatitis B include such physical symptoms as nausea, vomiting, fever, loss of appetite, abdominal pain, fatigue, dark urine and pale stools. Infected people also show signs of jaundice, evident by a yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes. In chronic cases, hepatitis B can lead to liver disease or cancer of the liver. The effects of hepatitis B can range from being mild and only lasting a few weeks to being more severe and requiring hospitalization.

There are five main types of hepatitis a person can become infected with. In the United States, most people are vaccinated against types A and B early in life and may receive further vaccinations for these when traveling to areas with high rates of hepatitis infection. Contraction and the effects of hepatitis B are most frequently experienced by individuals in high risk groups, such as intravenous drug users, sex workers, homosexual men and individuals infected with HIV or AIDS.

Spread through contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person, the effects of hepatitis B are usually realized within three months of infection. While there is no medical treatment for infection, doctors recommend bed rest, increased fluid intake and consuming a healthy diet while the infection runs its course. Once a person has become infected, she or he is then immune to future infections.

In some cases, however, the effects of hepatitis B are more devastating. Symptoms can last several months and affect a person so severely that hospitalization is needed. Some people may also develop chronic forms of infection, which can lead to cirrhosis of the liver or even liver cancer. People with chronic infections require constant monitoring by a physician to watch for signs of these illnesses.

In some individuals with chronic infections, the side effects of hepatitis B are nonexistent. Some who received the virus at birth from an infected mother may live for decades without showing any signs of illness. For others, the effects of hepatitis B are very similar to those with acute infections in that symptoms, such as fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, may only be experienced at short intervals. In the United States, approximately one-fourth of all patients with chronic forms of infection experience more serious effects of hepatitis B, such as liver cirrhosis or cancer. Of these cases, many do not show signs of declining liver functioning or damage until such are detected during medical testing.