Hepatitis B is called a "silent infection" because most people do not have noticeable symptoms when they are first infected. When a healthy adult is infected with the hepatitis B virus, their body can respond in different ways. People who do not know they are infected can unknowingly pass the virus to others.
Hepatitis B causes no symptoms in about 69 percent of infected people.
Approximately 30 percent of infected individuals will have some symptoms. Many will think they just have the flu and ignore the symptoms.
About 1 percent of those infected will develop life-threatening "fulminant hepatitis". These people may go into liver failure and require immediate medical attention. Although this response is rare, fulminant hepatitis develops suddenly and can be fatal if left untreated.
Common symptoms of hepatitis B infection include:
Fever, fatigue, muscle or joint pain
Loss of appetite
Mild nausea and vomiting
Serious symptoms that require immediate medical attention and maybe even hospitalization:
Severe nausea and vomiting
Yellow eyes and skin ("jaundice")
Bloated or swollen stomach
2006-10-06 22:00:30
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answer #1
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answered by Dalmatian 4
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Symptoms of hepatitis B may appear as long as 4 weeks to
6 months after infection with the virus. Many people develop
a chronic or ongoing form of the disease with only vague
symptoms even though liver damage may be occurring.
The early symptoms of viral hepatitis are low-grade fever, itching hives, general achieness, fatigue nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, foul breath and bitter taste in the mouth, loss of appetite, altered sense of taste and smell, pain or tenderness just below the ribs on the right side, especially when pressure is applied . Symptoms that may follow several days later include: Darkened urine, light colored or gray stool , yellowish skin and eyes (jaundice).
2006-10-06 22:29:39
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answer #2
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answered by caren 2
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Many people infected with viral hepatitis have no symptoms. For example, about one-third of people infected with HBV have a completely "silent" disease. When symptoms are present, they may be mild or severe. The most common early symptoms are mild fever, headache, muscle aches, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Later symptoms may include dark coffee-colored, rather than dark yellow, urine, clay-colored stools, abdominal pain, and yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes (jaundice).
About 15 percent to 20 percent of patients develop short-term arthritis-like problems. Another one-third of those with hepatitis B develop only mild flu-like symptoms without jaundice. Very severe hepatitis B is rare, but it is life-threatening. Signs and symptoms, which require immediate medical attention, include prolonged blood clotting time, personality changes and agitated behavior.
2006-10-06 22:05:42
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answer #3
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answered by Anonymous
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Fatigue, malaise, joint aches, and low-grade fever
Nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, and abdominal pain
Jaundice and dark urine due to increased bilirubin
2006-10-06 21:59:40
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answer #4
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answered by sexylittlemisstweetybird83 5
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