Key points
- People with acute hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection may have mild or no symptoms.
- Most people with chronic HBV infection are asymptomatic.
- The presence of signs and symptoms varies by age.
Disease presentation
Not all people with acute hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection have symptoms. Symptoms can range from asymptomatic or mild disease to, rarely, fulminant hepatitis. The presence of signs and symptoms varies by age.
- Most infants and children younger than 5 years old do not have symptoms.
- People aged 5 years and older develop symptoms in 30%–50% of cases.
- People younger than 30 years old are less likely to be symptomatic compared with people 30 years and older.
- Newly infected, immunosuppressed adults generally do not show symptoms.
Most people with chronic HBV infection are asymptomatic and have no evidence of liver disease or injury. However, some people develop chronic hepatitis (elevation of aspartate aminotransferase [AST]/alanine aminotransferase [ALT]), cirrhosis, or hepatocellular carcinoma (i.e., primary liver cancer).
Common symptoms
When present, signs and symptoms for acute hepatitis B appear an average of 90 days after exposure, but range from 60–150 days12. Common symptoms of acute hepatitis B are:
- Abdominal pain, nausea, and/or vomiting
- Dark urine or clay-colored stools
- Fatigue
- Fever
- Jaundice
- Joint pain
- Loss of appetite
Severity of symptoms
For many people, symptoms of acute hepatitis B infections last anywhere from 6 weeks up to 6 months.12 In some cases, the infection can progress to chronic hepatitis, primary liver cancer, or cirrhosis.
- Hoofnagle JH, Di Bisceglie AM. . Semin Liver Dis. 1991;11(2):73–83.
- Krugman S, Overby LR, Mushahwar IK, Ling CM, Frosner GG, Deinhardt F. . V. N Engl J Med. 1979;300(3):101–6.