Hepatitis B and Your Liver

The liver is one of the largest and most important organs in the body; it operates as your body’s battery and keeps the body clean and healthy. As part of the digestive system, the liver’s job is to enhance the energy, filtration, and storage capacities of the body. While the liver can perform over 500 functions, key functions include:¹

• Breaks down and converts sugar, fat and protein into energy
• Fights infections
• Filters and removes toxins from blood
• Stores sugar, vitamins and minerals
• Produces substances needed for stopping excessive bleeding from cuts or injuries
• Produces bile to help digestion of fats

The liver is four times larger than what is needed to survive and is the only internal organ that can regenerate itself.² It is made up of millions of liver cells, called hepatocytes.³

When a person is infected with chronic hepatitis B, the virus multiplies and attacks the liver slowly over time.⁴ This can lead to fibrosis and cirrhosis, which can impair the liver’s ability to regenerate.⁴ Most people suffering from hepatitis B do not show any signs or symptoms, so they can live for many years without knowing they have been infected.⁵ When left undiagnosed and untreated, the hepatitis B virus can cause life-long complications that may ultimately lead to liver cancer and death.⁵

How Does Your Liver Respond to Chronic Hepatitis B Infection?

Hepatitis B is the leading cause of chronic liver disease and liver-related deaths worldwide.⁶ When a person has active chronic hepatitis B, healthy liver cells are damaged and scar tissue will form, impairing liver function. This can lead to serious consequences and liver damage, including:⁴

• Inflammation: When the liver first becomes infected with hepatitis B, mild to moderate swelling will occur. Liver inflammation can also lead to more serious conditions such as fibrosis, cirrhosis and liver cancer.^7,8
• Fibrosis: Fibrosis occurs when healthy liver cells are damaged by the hepatitis B virus, which are replaced by mild to moderate scar tissue, called fibrous tissue.⁷ The liver is still able to carry out all normal functions and people may experience little to no symptoms.⁹
• Cirrhosis: Cirrhosis of the liver is characterised by permanent and severe scarring of the liver caused by chronic liver inflammation.⁷ Cirrhosis is also the main cause of primary liver cancer¹⁰ and develops in two stages:

1. Compensated cirrhosis – Despite scarring, the liver can carry out its normal function. While symptoms may not be severe, complications can occur.⁷
2. Decompensated cirrhosis – Characterised by severe scarring and liver failure. A liver transplant is the only treatment option.^7,10

• Liver Cancer: Malignant tumours that form on the liver. Hepatitis B is responsible for 80% of all primary liver cancer worldwide.¹¹

While there is no cure for chronic hepatitis B, there are treatments available that can help reverse liver diseases, such as fibrosis/cirrhosis, as well as prevent more severe liver complications, including liver cancer and liver failure.¹²

Liver Disease Animation: Effects of Hepatitis B

When a person has active chronic hepatitis B, the virus multiplies and attacks the liver slowly over time. This can lead to liver disease, including fibrosis/cirrhosis, liver cancer and/or liver failure, all of which can impair the liver’s ability to function and regenerate.⁴

Select one of the images below to see a side-by-side animated video of how the liver of a chronically infected person, who is not on treatment, is attacked over time by the hepatitis B virus and how it would look if hepatitis B were attacking an everyday item, such as an orange or a potted plant.