Facts about hepatitis B

The virus can spread through infected blood or body fluids, including during sex, childbirth, or shared injecting equipment. A person may have no noticeable symptoms, especially early on. Others develop tiredness, nausea, reduced appetite, discomfort under the ribs, dark urine, pale stools, or yellowing of the skin and eyes. A symptom such as dark urine has many possible causes; it does not by itself show that someone has hepatitis B.

Some infections clear, while persistent infection can inflame and scar the liver. A clinician uses the medical history and blood tests to identify infection and understand how the liver is working.

Arrange testing if you may have been exposed, have symptoms, or were born in or travelled through a region where hepatitis B is more common. Ask about a [Liver Function Test](/treatments/diagnostics-and-screening/liver-function-test/) and hepatitis B blood testing; these answer different questions. Do not share razors, toothbrushes, needles, or anything that may carry blood. Use condoms until a clinician advises that partners are protected, and avoid donating blood. Vaccination prevents new infection and may be recommended for household or sexual contacts.

Seek urgent medical help for confusion, severe vomiting, unusual bleeding, marked sleepiness, or rapidly worsening yellow skin or eyes. Contact a clinician promptly after a possible exposure because preventive treatment may be time-sensitive. If you have ongoing fatigue, abdominal swelling, or dark urine, arrange an assessment rather than waiting for symptoms to pass.

Ask which hepatitis B tests you need, whether the infection appears recent or persistent, how your liver should be monitored, and whether household or sexual contacts need vaccination. Discuss medicines, alcohol, and any supplements that could affect the liver.