What is it?
A viral infection caused by Hepatitis B causing swelling on liver.
- If have this virus early in life (baby or child) 90% can have long term liver disease compared to 5%-10% of adults.
- The time taken to develop symptoms can vary from forty days to 160 days after exposure.
Diagnosis Tests
- Exposure to an STI until a reliable test can be undertaken is up to 6 months.
Countries affected are:
Caribbean
- Anguilla
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Aruba
- Bahamas
- Barbados
- Bonaire
- British Virgin Islands
- Cayman Islands
- Cuba
- Curaçao
- Dominica
- Dominican Republic
- Grenada
- Guadeloupe
- Haiti
- Jamaica
- Martinique
- Montserrat
- Puerto Rico
- Saba
- Saint Barthelemy (French Territorial Collectivity)
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Saint Lucia
- Saint Martin (French Territorial Collectivity)
- Sint Eustatius
- Sint Maarten
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Turks and Caicos
- US Virgin Islands
North America
- Bermuda
- Canada
- Greenland
- Mexico
- Saint Pierre and Miquelon
- United States of America (Alaska, Hawaii, Oahu, Maui)
Central America
- Belize
- Costa Rica
- El Salvador
- Guatemala
- Honduras
- Nicaragua
- Panama
South America
- Antarctica (Polar Region)
- Argentina
- Bolivia
- Brazil
- Chile (Easter Island)
- Colombia
- Ecuador (Galapagos Islands)
- Falkland Islands
- French Guiana
- Guyana
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Suriname
- Uruguay
- Venezuela (Margarita Island)
Europe & Russia
- Albania
- Andorra
- Armenia
- Austria
- Azerbaijan
- Belarus
- Belgium
- Bosnia Herzegovina
- Bulgaria
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Faroe Islands
- Finland
- France (Corsica)
- Georgia
- Germany
- Gibraltar
- Greece (Corfu, Crete, Rhodes)
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Italy (Sardinia, Sicily)
- Kosovo
- Latvia
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Monaco
- Montenegro
- Netherlands
- Norway (Svalbard)
- Poland
- Portugal (Azores, Madeira)
- Republic of Moldova
- Republic of North Macedonia
- Romania
- Russian Federation
- San Marino
- Serbia
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Spain (Spain Majorca, Minorca, Balearic Islands, Ibiza, Formentera, Canary Islands, Gran Canaria, Tenerife, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura)
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Turkey
- Ukraine
- United Kingdom
Africa
- Algeria
- Angola
- Benin
- Botswana
- Burkina Faso
- Burundi
- Cameroon
- Cape Verde
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- Comoros
- Congo
- Côte d’Ivoire
- Democratic Republic of Congo
- Djibouti
- Egypt
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea
- Eswatini (Swaziland)
- Ethiopia
- Gabon
- Gambia
- Ghana
- Guinea
- Guinea-Bissau
- Kenya
- Lesotho
- Liberia
- Libya
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Mali
- Mauritania
- Mauritius
- Mayotte
- Morocco
- Mozambique
- Namibia
- Niger
- Nigeria
- Réunion
- Rwanda
- Saint Helena
- São Tomé and Príncipe
- Senegal
- Seychelles
- Sierra Leone
- Somalia
- South Africa
- South Sudan
- Sudan
- Togo
- United Republic of Tanzania (Zanzibar)
- Tunisia
- Uganda
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
Middle East
- Bahrain
- Iran
- Iraq
- Israel and Occupied Palestinian Territories
- Jordan
- Kuwait
- Lebanon
- Oman
- Qatar
- Saudi Arabia
- Syria
- United Arab Emirates (Dubai, Abu Dhabi)
- Yemen
Asia
- Afghanistan
- Kazakhstan
- Kyrgyzstan
- Pakistan
- Tajikistan
- Turkmenistan
- Uzbekistan
- Bangladesh
- Bhutan
- Brunei Darussalam
- Cambodia
- China
- North Korea
- Hong Kong
- Laos
- Macao
- Malaysia (Sarawak, Sabah)
- Maldives
- Mongolia
- Myanmar
- Nepal
- India
- Japan
- Philippines
- South Korea (Korea, Republic of Korea)
- Singapore
- Sri Lanka
- Taiwan
- Thailand
- Timor-Leste
- Vietnam
Australasia and Pacific
- American Samoa
- Australia
- Christmas Island
- Cook Islands
- Federated States Of Micronesia
- Fiji
- French Polynesia
- Guam
- Kiribati
- Marshall Islands
- Nauru
- New Caledonia
- New Zealand
- Niue
- Northern Mariana Islands
- Palau
- Papua New Guinea
- Pitcairn
- Samoa
- Solomon Islands
- Tokelau
- Tonga
- Tuvalu (Ellice Islands)
- Vanuatu
Cause
- Virus: Hepatitis B virus (DNA virus of the Hepadnavirus)
- Found in blood:
- Tattoo, body piercings in unlicensed place
- Sharing toothbrush, razors and towels which are infected
- Medical treatment where product not sterilised
- Treatments:
- Illicit drugs:
- Vaginal fluid, semen:
- Sexual intercourse (unprotected sex)
- Saliva:
- Human bite
- Infected blood gets splashed in eyes/mouth especially at risk, nurse surgeons, healthcare lab technicians and social workers
- Passed from infected mother to baby during childbirth
Symptoms
- General discomfort (muscle weakness), uneasiness or ill feeling (malaise) and/or fatigue (tiredness)?
- Aching, painful muscles, muscle cramps/spasms/stiffness?
- Joint pain and stiffness?
- High temperature greater than 38°C (100°F) or over and/or chills and sweats longer than 72 hours?
- Changes in the way things taste or smell (smokers will often develop a sudden distaste for cigarettes)?
- Pain in the upper right part of the abdomen (generally mild, but constant)?
- Abdominal pain and/or are constant violently vomiting or vomiting longer than two days?
- Diarrhoea?
- Red and/or raised hive rash (especially hepatitis B)?
Then within 2-5 days the infection will trigger the build-up of bilirubin (an orange-yellow pigment produced when the liver breaks down old red blood cells).
Further symptoms include (if these symptoms occurs one needs urgent medical advice):
- Jaundice (yellowing of skin and whites of the eyes)?
- Dark coloured urine?
- Pale or clay-coloured stools?
Complications /Information to beware of/General tips:
Medical Emergency Condition
And/or do not wait, phone for an ambulance if have/develop:
This condition can lead to:
This condition tends to also be with:
Alcohol – Related issues
This condition may show similar symptoms to:
Please talk to your healthcare professional (i.e. Medical Doctor/Pharmacist) for further advice
Detailed Information
Please copy and paste any key words from the title: Hepatitis B in the following respective 'Medtick References and/or Sources' to find out more about the disease (this also may include diagnosis tests and generic medical treatments).
- NHS
Find information and advice on health conditions, symptoms, healthy living, medicines and how to get help (British National Health Service).
- Medscape
Latest medical news and expert commentary in your specialty as well as disease information.
- Pharmaceutical Journal
The Pharmaceutical Journal covers analysis, features, opinion, learning and careers articles, providing insight and knowledge about drugs, pharmacy practice, medicines use and healthcare policy in the context of the pharmacy profession and pharmaceutical science.
- Healthline
Medical Information and health advice you can trust
- ChatGPT
Get instant answers, find creative inspiration, and learn something new.
- Medical News Today
Medical news and health news headlines posted throughout the day, every day.
- WebMD
Better Information. Better Health.
- Cleveland Clinic
Pushing the Standards of care.
- Mayo Clinic
No.1 Hospital in the Nation (America)
- Drugs.com
Know more. Be sure.
- National Organisation of Rare Diseases
NORD is dedicated to supporting education, elevating care, advancing research, and driving policy for rare diseases.
- Verywell Health
Know more. Fell better.
- Fit for Travel
Information on how to stay safe and healthy abroad.
- DR Axe
Health and fitness news. Recipes, Natural Remedies
