What is hepatitis B?

Hep B is the world's most common liver infection.

Hepatitis B is passed via blood-to-blood contact. This means that blood infected with the virus must get into the bloodstream of another person to be passed on.

Without treatment, hepatitis B can cause serious damage to the liver. Untreated hepatitis B may eventually lead to cirrhosis, liver cancer or liver failure.

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Recently diagnosed?

​If you have been diagnosed with hepatitis B, you are not alone. In fact, nearly 1 in 3 people worldwide will be infected with the hepatitis B virus in their lifetime.

We know a hepatitis B diagnosis can be confusing, overwhelming, and distressing. We are here to help. We hope our platform will answer some of your questions and help you navigate living a healthy life with hepatitis B.

Understanding your diagnosis

Acute hepatitis B - diagnosed within the first 6 months of the infection. Chronic hepatitis B - diagnosed after the first 6 months of the infection

Most healthy adults who are acutely infected are able to get rid of the virus on their own. If you continue to test positive for hepatitis B after 6 months, it is considered a chronic infection.

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How did I get hepatitis B?

You may have been exposed to hepatitis B if you have ever:

  • been exposed to the hepatitis B virus while your mother was pregnant
  • shared equipment (needles, syringes, spoons, straws) used to take recreational or performance-enhancing drugs, such as anabolic steroids, even once
  • had a blood transfusion or organ transplant in the UK before the mid-1990s
  • had medical or dental treatment in a country where infection control procedures may be poor
  • had tattoos, piercings, acupuncture or electrolysis where infection control procedures may be poor e.g. unlicensed venues, the armed forces or in prison
  • shared personal hygiene products, such as razors and toothbrushes, which may have small droplets of blood on them
  • had unprotected sexual contact where blood was present
  • worked in an environment where you may have come into contact with infected blood, such as through a needlestick injury

Hepatitis B - a ‘silent epidemic’

Hepatitis B seldom makes its symptoms apparent both in newly infected individuals and those more chronically infected. Because of this, both the spreading of the virus and the damage done by Hepatitis B can occur in an unknowing fashion to an infected individual – damage that can lead to serious liver diseases, such as cirrhosis or liver cancer.

Hepatitis however is both preventable and treatable, with an outright cure within sight. A simple blood test can diagnose and spot the infection, with a vaccine also available. An effective drug therapy course can quickly be followed to bring even chronic cases of the infection under management.

 

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Hepatitis B and Your Liver

The importance of the liver can not be understated – complete liver failure can result in full body shutdown. Fortunately, even if a liver were to suffer from 80% removal or otherwise, it would continue to function; and even regenerate from healthy liver cells still present.

 

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