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[berto]

 What is hepatitis B?
Hepatitis B is a disease caused by a virus. The hepatitis B virus infects the liver.
Half of all people with hepatitis B do not feel sick at all. But they can still pass the disease to others. Some will become carriers and have the virus in their blood and other body fluids (like semen) for the rest of their lives.

In other cases, hepatitis B makes people very sick. These people can become sick with fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, and yellow skin and eyes (jaundice). The illness can last for weeks or months. Most people will get better and become immune (protected from the illness) for life. A small number become carriers. The younger you are when you become infected, the more likely you are to become infected for life.

Carriers can pass the virus to other people and are at high risk for getting cirrhosis (liver disease), liver failure, and cancer of the liver. Some carriers need a liver transplant and others die of their liver disease.

There is no cure for hepatitis B, but treatment can sometimes decrease the amount of virus in the blood and body secretions. It can also prevent some of the other problems caused by the disease.