Symptoms

What signs would I see or feel if I got hepatitis B?

Hepatitis B can affect everyone with different signs and symptoms:

  • Some people don’t look or feel sick after being infected with hepatitis B.

  • Some people will have some mild symptoms soon after being infected with hepatitis B, which is called acute hepatitis B.

  • Most people will naturally clear hepatitis B within 6 months and will become immune to it.

  • Some other people will not clear the virus and will develop chronic hepatitis B, which means they will have the virus for the rest of their life.

Symptoms of acute hepatitis B can last weeks-months and can include:

  • Loss of appetite

  • Fever

  • Muscle and joint pain

  • Stomach ache, pains and vomiting

  • Jaundice (yellow skin and eyes)

Symptoms of chronic hepatitis B can include:

  • Similar symptoms to acute hepatitis B

  • Feeling tired all the time

  • After many years, chronic hepatitis B can lead to cirrhosis, liver disease or liver cancer