Dark urine and hepatitis B

Hepatitis B is a viral infection that can inflame the liver. Most people with symptomatic infection notice a combination of fatigue, nausea, poor appetite, discomfort under the right ribs, fever, or aching joints; some develop yellow eyes or skin and pale stools. When the liver cannot process bile normally, bile pigments can enter urine and make it dark. Some people have no symptoms, so urine colour cannot establish whether infection is present.

Hepatitis B spreads through infected blood or body fluids. A clinician may ask about household or sexual exposure, medical procedures, tattoos, travel, and vaccination. Blood tests can identify infection and show how the liver is responding; a liver function test may be part of that assessment.

Arrange medical testing if dark urine is accompanied by yellowing, fatigue, nausea, abdominal discomfort, or a possible exposure. Avoid alcohol, do not share razors or toothbrushes, and cover open cuts while waiting for advice. Do not stop prescribed medicines without speaking with a clinician, because some medicines and supplements can also affect the liver. Ask close contacts whether they need testing or vaccination advice.

Seek urgent care for confusion, unusual sleepiness, repeated vomiting, severe abdominal pain, bleeding, fainting, or rapidly worsening yellowing. These can indicate serious liver dysfunction or another urgent illness. Emergency help is needed if you cannot keep fluids down or become difficult to wake.

Ask which hepatitis B tests are needed, whether a liver function test should be checked, and how results will guide follow-up. Ask how to protect household and sexual contacts, whether vaccination is appropriate for anyone close to you, and which medicines or supplements to avoid.