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Symptoms
By Mayo Clinic staffSigns and symptoms of hepatitis B usually appear about two to three months after you've been infected and can range from mild to severe. Signs and symptoms of hepatitis B may include:
- Abdominal pain
- Dark urine
- Joint pain
- Loss of appetite
- Nausea and vomiting
- Weakness and fatigue
- Yellowing of your skin and the whites of your eyes (jaundice)
Most infants and children with hepatitis B never develop signs and symptoms. The same is true for some adults.
When to see a doctor
Seek medical care if you have any signs or symptoms that worry you.
If you know you've been exposed to hepatitis B, contact your doctor immediately. A preventive treatment may reduce the risk that the virus will infect your body. But the treatment must be administered within 24 hours of exposure to the hepatitis B virus.
- FAQs for the public. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/B/bFAQ.htm. Accessed July 24, 2009.
- Hepatitis B. American Liver Foundation. http://www.liverfoundation.org/education/info/hepatitisb/. Accessed July 24, 2009.
- What I need to know about hepatitis B. National Institute for Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/hepb_ez/index.htm. Accessed July 24, 2009.
- Mast EE, et al. A comprehensive immunization strategy to eliminate transmission of hepatitis B virus in the United States: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) part II: Immunization of adults. MMWR Recommendations and Reports. 2006;55:1. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5516a1.htm. Accessed July 24, 2009.
- Understanding hepatitis. American Gastroenterological Association. http://www.gastro.org/frame-templates/print_template.cfm. Accessed July 24, 2009.
- Viral hepatitis screening. American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases. http://www.aasld.org/yourliver/Pages/ViralHepatitisScreening.aspx. Accessed July 24, 2009.
- Lok ASF, et al. AASLD practice guidelines: Chronic hepatitis B. Hepatology. 2007;45:507.
- Milk thistle. National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. http://nccam.nih.gov/health/milkthistle/ataglance.htm. Accessed Aug. 4, 2009.
- Mast EE, et al. A comprehensive immunization strategy to eliminate transmission of hepatitis B virus infection in the United States: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) part 1: Immunization of infants, children and adolescents. MMWR Recommendations and Reports. 2005;54:1. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5416a1.htm. Accessed July 24, 2009.
- Perrillo R, et al. Hepatitis B and D. In: Feldman M, et al. Sleisenger & Fordtran's Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease: Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, Management. 8th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2006. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/155081399-2/0/1389/0.html. Accessed Aug. 19, 2009.
