Symptoms of hepatitis B include jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes), loss of appetite, nausea, fever, headache, fatigue, abdominal pain, dark urine, rash and joint pain. Hepatitis B symptoms show up within six weeks to six months after infection. Symptoms of hepatitis B can range from mild to severe.
The majority of infected individuals never experience symptoms of hepatitis B. In fact, only about half of patients with hepatitis B will experience noticeable symptoms. When present, hepatitis B symptoms are still a challenge to diagnose since they often resemble other conditions such as the flu or mono.
Don’t rely on hepatitis B symptoms as a means of diagnosis. Healthy people should undergo hepatitis B testing since the virus can cause liver damage without producing any symptoms. A hepatitis B test is recommended as part of a routine STD test, especially for individuals who have never been vaccinated. That's why its imperative to get a Hepatitis B Test.
Many people have heard of Hepatitis B but assume that it simply can’t happen to them. For the most part, Hepatitis B is considered rare in the grand scheme of STDs. But those at an increased risk should familiarize themselves with common Hepatitis B symptoms. This way, they can seek treatment if it becomes necessary.
Hepatitis B symptoms typically do not appear immediately following infection. In most cases, it can take a good three months for symptoms of Hepatitis B to surface. When Hepatitis B symptoms do spring up, they can vary in terms of severity. One typical symptom of Hepatitis B is darkening of the urine, which can be difficult to detect as a Hepatitis B symptom since basic dehydration can produce a similar result. Jaundice is another common Hepatitis B symptom, and it’s signified by a yellowing of the skin and eyes. Other Hepatitis B symptoms in men and women include joint pain, fever, fatigue, a loss of appetite, stomach and abdominal pain, vomiting, and nausea.
In some cases, treatment for Hepatitis B may not be necessary at all. If Hepatitis B symptoms aren’t severe, then a doctor may determine that the infection will go away on its own without medical intervention. In other cases, antiviral medications may be necessary to target more intense Hepatitis B symptoms.
Perhaps the most severe symptom of Hepatitis B is liver failure, which can happen when the disease isn’t properly managed. For this reason, it’s important to get tested for Hepatitis B if any common Hepatitis B symptoms appear. Though many of the symptoms of Hepatitis B can point to common, harmless conditions or infections, a simple STD test can effectively diagnose the disease and put those infected on the road to proper treatment.
“I wasn’t experiencing symptoms of hepatitis B, but I took a hepatitis B test as part of a full STD screen just to cover all my bases and give myself complete peace of mind.”
Posted By Pinpoint MD on Monday, September 12, 2011 4:32:23 PM America/Chicago
What do measles, polio, rubella and hepatitis B vaccines have in common? They prevent outbreaks of disease. It’s easy to take all that for granted today: dying of measles is so Oregon Trail. But in countries where hepatitis B vaccines aren’t standard, the disease is still common.
Posted By Pinpoint MD on Wednesday, September 14, 2011 4:31:59 PM America/Chicago
When people talk about STDs, they tend to talk about the biggies right away: herpes, gonorrhea, HPV, and HIV/AIDS. But what about hepatitis? Hepatitis is an STD that affects an estimated 4.4million Americans, most of whom don’t even know they’re infected -- about 80,000 new infections occur each year.
Posted By Pinpoint MD on Thursday, November 10, 2011 1:44:56 PM America/Chicago
NYC public high schools and middle schools are revamping their sex education curriculum, and it’s caused quite a stir. Some of these new topics include bestiality, anal and oral sex, pornography, phone sex and STD testing. The Department of Education plans to teach anything and everything there is to know about sex.