Hepatitis B Virus

The hepatitis B virus affects the liver and can lead to a variety of complications. Transmission of the hepatitis B virus occurs when blood, semen, or other bodily fluids from an infected person enter the body of a person who is not infected. This can occur through activities such as having sex with an infected person or sharing needles or drugs with people who are infected. A person who becomes infected with the hepatitis B virus does not develop symptoms immediately. Symptoms occur after a period known as the hepatitis B incubation period, which can last from 30 days to 180 days.
 

What Is the Hepatitis B Virus?

The
 hepatitis B virus (HBV for short) is the virus that causes the illness hepatitis B. A person infected with the hepatitis B virus may develop a sudden onset of fever, extreme tiredness, nausea, lack of appetite, abdominal pain (or stomach pain), and yellowing of the skin or whites of the eyes (known as jaundice). These symptoms occur because the hepatitis B virus affects the liver. Not everyone infected with the hepatitis B virus will develop symptoms.
 
Although many people who are exposed to the hepatitis B virus will be able to get rid of it, some people will not. These people end up having a long-term liver infection called chronic hepatitis B. In a person with chronic hepatitis B, the hepatitis B virus continues to cause damage, which can eventually lead to:
 
The hepatitis B virus is a DNA virus that belongs to the genus Orthohepadnavirus of the Hepadnaviridae family. Besides the hepatitis B virus, there are several other types of viral hepatitis, including hepatitis A, C, D, E, and G. The most common types of viral hepatitis in the United States are hepatitis A, B, and C.
 
In a typical year, an estimated 70,000 Americans become infected with chronic HBV, and some 5,000 of them will die of the complications caused by the disease.
 
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Written by/reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD