Hepatitis B is a serious infection that affects the liver. It is caused by the hepatitis B virus. In 2009, about 38,000 people became infected with hepatitis B. Each year about 2,000 to 4,000 people die in the United States from cirrhosis or liver cancer caused by hepatitis B.
Hepatitis B can cause: Acute (short-term) illness. This can lead to:
1-Loss of appetite
2-Diarrhea and vomiting
3-Tiredness
4-Jaundice(yellow skin or eyes)
5-Pain in muscles, joints is more common among adults.
Children who become infected usually do not have symptoms. Chronic (long-term) infection. Some people go on to develop chronic hepatitis B infection. Most of them do not have symptoms, but the infection is still very serious, and can lead to:
1- Liver damage (cirrhosis)
2- Liver cancer
3- Death Chronic infection is more common among infants and children than among adults. People who are chronically infected can spread hepatitis B virus to others.