Treatment:

Acute hepatitis needs no treatment other than careful monitoring of liver function, which involves blood tests. In the rare case that you develop liver failure, you should be monitored in a hospital until you recover or you need a liver transplant. A liver transplant is the only cure in some cases of liver failure.

Liver damage makes it harder for the liver to break down proteins, so limit your protein intake. You will take medications to limit protein production by bacteria in your body.

Patients with chronic hepatitis are treated with antiviral medications. Hepatitis B cannot be cured, but these medications may help lessen the infection. Liver transplantation is used to treat end-stage chronic hepatitis B liver disease.

For more information on treatment, see liver disease.

Support Groups:

See: Liver disease support group

Expectations (prognosis):

The acute illness usually goes away after 2 - 3 weeks. The liver usually returns to normal within 4 - 6 months in almost all patients who are infected.

Some people develop chronic hepatitis. People who have chronic hepatitis B stay infectious. They are considered carriers of the disease, even if they do not have any symptoms.

Hepatitis B is deadly in approximately 1% of cases.

Complications:

There is a higher rate of hepatocellular carcinoma in those who have had hepatitis B than in the general population.

Other complications may include:

• Chronic persistent hepatitis
• Cirrhosis

Calling your health care provider:

Call your health care provider if:

• You develop symptoms of hepatitis B
• Hepatitis B symptoms do not go away in 2 or 3 weeks, or new symptoms develop
• You belong to a high-risk group for hepatitis B and have not yet received the HBV vaccine.