Hepatitis B Symptoms in Males & Females

Hepatitis B is a condition that gives males and females similar symptoms. Symptoms indicating a hepatitis B viral infection may either never appear, or they may take weeks to surface. The condition is normally diagnosed using a blood test. Because symptoms can sometimes be elusive, it is recommended that people at risk for the infection get regular blood tests to screen for the condition. Some people at risk include pregnant women, people on kidney dialysis and people who are HIV positive. It is important to discuss the need for hepatitis B screening with a doctor.

Identification

• Hepatitis B is a liver infection brought about by the hepatitis B virus. The potential effects of hepatitis B are varied. According to the Mayo Clinic, most adults who are infected with the virus recover completely while children are more likely to have the hepatitis B virus develop into something more serious such as liver failure or liver cancer.

Effects

• Some of the symptoms of hepatitis B can be mild. The Mayo Clinic asserts that many people with hepatitis B display no symptoms at all. Some of the milder symptoms include fatigue or an unexplained loss of energy, a loss of appetite that can lead to weight loss, nausea that could lead to vomiting, an unexplained pain that may appear on the right side of the body just below the rib cage and an itching sensation all over the body that does not go away. There may also be darker than normal urine or pale-colored stool.

Potential

• Hepatitis B can create some more severe symptoms that can either appear suddenly, or be an escalation of the milder symptoms. Some of these more severe symptoms include a yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes known as jaundice, a noticeable and painful swelling of the abdomen, a feeling of confusion that may be accompanied by hallucinations, a chronic joint pain that can get progressively worse and a warm red rash that appears on the palms.

Considerations

• There are a variety of ways to contract the hepatitis B virus. It can be transmitted during unprotected sex, it may be contracted as part of a blood transfusion or it may be contracted as the result of doing intravenous drugs with a shared needle. People at higher risk for contracting the virus include those who engage in unprotected sex with multiple partners or people who work around human blood such as at a hospital or blood bank.

Prevention/Solution

• There are several courses of treatment a doctor may choose to take with a hepatitis B infection. Blood tests may reveal acute hepatitis B which means that it has a limited life span. If that is the case then a doctor may treat the symptoms such as pain or nausea, and allow the virus to run its course. For other forms of hepatitis B there is no cure. The Mayo Clinic estimates that if anti-viral medication is administered within 24 hours of infection then it may have a chance of stopping the virus from spreading. If the virus is not stopped then medication may be used to slow the virus' progress, or a liver transplant may need to be done to replace an infected liver.