Symptoms of Hepatitis B
Signs and symptoms of hepatitis B usually occur 90 days (or 3 months) after exposure to the hepatitis B virus.1 Hepatitis B symptoms can range from mild to severe, but most individuals with chronic hepatitis B remain symptom free for as long as 20 or 30 years.1 The most common hepatitis B symptoms are:1
- Tiredness
- Loss of appetite
- Nausea or feeling sick to your stomach
- Stomach pain
- Weight loss
- Yellow skin or yellowing of the whites of your eyes (jaundice)
- Dark coloured urine
- Clay or whitish coloured bowel movements
- Pain in your joints
- Fever
- Weight Loss
- Vomiting
However, it is important to remember that nearly all infants and children, and 30% of people infected in adulthood, do not develop hepatitis B symptoms. The older you are, the more likely you are to have symptoms of hepatitis B.2 However, even if you don’t have any hepatitis B symptoms, you can unknowingly pass the virus to others.
If you feel you have symptoms of hepatitis B or find you may be at risk it is important to talk to a medical professional about getting tested. He or she may recommend you take a simple diagnostic blood test.