Also called: Also called: HBV
Hepatitis B is one type of hepatitis – a liver disease- caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV). Hepatitis B spreads by contact with an infected person's blood, semen or other body fluid. An infected woman can give hepatitis B to her baby at birth.
If you get HBV, you may feel as if you have the flu, or you may have no symptoms at all. A blood test can tell if you have it. HBV usually gets better on its own after a few months. If it does not get better, it is called chronic HBV, which lasts a lifetime. Chronic HBV can lead to scarring of the liver, liver failure or liver cancer.
There is a vaccine for HBV. It requires three shots. All babies should get the vaccine, but older children and adults can get it too. If you travel to countries where Hepatitis B is common, you should get the vaccine.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
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Hepatitis B
(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/hepatitisb/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/hepatitisbspanish/htm/index.htm -
What I Need to Know about Hepatitis B
(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/hepb_ez/
Also available in Spanish http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/spanish/pubs/hepb_ez/index.htm
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Hepatitis B(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/common/infections/hepatitis/032.printerview.html
Also available in Spanish http://familydoctor.org/online/famdoces/home/common/infections/hepatitis/032.printerview.html
- Hepatitis B Basics(Dept. of Veterans Affairs) - http://www.hepatitis.va.gov/vahep?page=basics-16-00
- Viral Hepatitis B(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/HepatitisB.htm
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Viral Hepatitis: A through E and Beyond(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/viralhepatitis/
- Engerix Hepatitis B Vaccine May Raise Risk of Multiple Sclerosis in Kids(09/26/2008, Reuters Health) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_69759.html
- C-Section Cuts Risk of Hepatitis B Transmission(09/26/2008, Reuters Health) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_69754.html
- CDC Expands Testing Recommendations for Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infection(09/18/2008, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/media/pressrel/2008/r080918.htm
- Viread Approved for Hepatitis B(08/12/2008, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_68069.html
- Hepatitis B: The Test(American Association for Clinical Chemistry) - http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/hepatitis_b/test.html
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Liver Biopsy(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/liverbiopsy/
- Liver Panel(American Association for Clinical Chemistry) - http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/liver_panel/glance.html
- Viral Hepatitis(American Association for Clinical Chemistry) - http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/conditions2/hep_table.html
- Hepatitis B: Approved Drugs for Adults(Hepatitis B Foundation) - http://www.hepb.org/patients/hepatitis_b_treatment.htm
- Hepatitis B Vaccine(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - Links to PDF - http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/vis/downloads/vis-hep-b.pdf
- Other Prevention Measures(Hepatitis B Foundation) - http://www.hepb.org/hepb/other_measures.htm
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Vaccinations for Hepatitis A and B(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/vaccinationshepab/
- If You Have Chronic Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) Infection(Immunization Action Coalition) - Links to PDF - http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4120.pdf
- Living with Hepatitis B: FAQ(Hepatitis B Foundation) - http://www.hepb.org/patients/living_with_hepatitis_b.htm
- (Lack of) Universal Precautions(Occupational Safety and Health Administration) - http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/hospital/hazards/univprec/univ.html
- Getting a Letter from the Blood Bank: What Does It Mean?(Hepatitis B Foundation) - Links to PDF - http://www.hepb.org/pdf/blood_bank.pdf
- HBV/HIV Co-infection(Hepatitis B Foundation) - http://www.hepb.org/hepb/hbv_hiv_co-infection.htm
- Hepatitis B and Primary Liver Cancer(Hepatitis B Foundation) - http://www.hepb.org/professionals/hepb_and_liver_cancer.htm
- Hepatitis B Information for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders(Immunization Action Coalition) - Links to PDF - http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4190.pdf
- Hepatitis D Co-Infection(Hepatitis B Foundation) - http://www.hepb.org/hepb/hepdconinfection.htm
- Hepatitis, Viral, Type B: Health Information for International Travel(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/yellowBookCh4-HepB.aspx
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Hepatitis B(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/hepatitisb/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/hepatitisbspanish/htm/index.htm
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Hepatitis B(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Hepatitis+B%22
- Hepatitis B Clinical Trials: What You Need to Know(Hepatitis B Foundation) - Links to PDF - http://www.hepb.org/pdf/clinical_trials.pdf
- Antiviral Therapy for Chronic Hepatitis B(American College of Physicians) - http://www.annals.org/cgi/content/full/147/11/I-16
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Hepatitis B virus infection. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18832247&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Economic benefits of hepatitis B vaccination at sexually transmitted disease... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18763413&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Unique impacts of HBV co-infection on clinical and laboratory findings... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18689615&tool=MedlinePlus
- Hepatitis B -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=hepatitis+b[majr]+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+AND+(patient+education+handout[pt]+OR+jsubsetaim[text]+OR+jsubsetk[text]+OR+jsubsetn[text])+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- Liver Specialist Directory(Hepatitis B Foundation) - http://www.hepb.org/resources/liver_specialist_directory.htm
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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - http://www.cdc.gov/
Also available in Spanish http://www.cdc.gov/spanish/
- Hepatitis B Foundation - http://www.hepb.org/
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National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases - http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/
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National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases - http://www.niddk.nih.gov/
- Hepatitis B Foundation Newsletter: B Informed(Hepatitis B Foundation) - http://www.hepb.org/resources/b_informed_newsletter.htm
- Hepatitis B Prevention Mandates(Immunization Action Coalition) - School-age children immunization information - http://www.immunize.org/laws/hepb.htm
- FASTATS: Viral Hepatitis(National Center for Health Statistics) - http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/hepatits.htm
- Advice for Parents(Hepatitis B Foundation) - http://www.hepb.org/patients/advice_for_parents.htm
- All Kids Need Hepatitis B Shots(Immunization Action Coalition) - Links to PDF - http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4055.pdf
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Hepatitis(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/kid/health_problems/infection/hepatitis.html
Also available in Spanish http://kidshealth.org/kid/en_espanol/comunes/hepatitis_esp.html
- Hepatitis B Shots Are Recommended for All New Babies(Immunization Action Coalition) - Links to PDF - http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4110.pdf
- Hepatitis B Vaccine Is Imperative for Families Adopting from Abroad(Immunization Action Coalition) - http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/4153adop.htm
- Hepatitis B: Approved Drugs for Children(Hepatitis B Foundation) - http://www.hepb.org/patients/treatment_for_children.htm
- Hepatitis B (HBV)(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/teen/sexual_health/stds/std_hepatitis.html
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Protect Yourself against Hepatitis A and B: A Guide for Gay and Bisexual Men(Immunization Action Coalition) - http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4115.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4115-01.pdf
- Pregnancy and Hepatitis B Virus: FAQ(Hepatitis B Foundation) - http://www.hepb.org/patients/pregnant_women.htm
- Hepatitis - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/hepatitis.html
- Hepatitis A - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/hepatitisa.html
- Hepatitis C - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/hepatitisc.html
- Digestive System - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/digestivesystem.html
- Infections - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/infections.html
The primary NIH organization for research on Hepatitis B is the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases - http://www.niddk.nih.gov/
Hepatitis B - Multiple Languages - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/languages/hepatitisb.html