Hepatitis B symptoms usually occur one to four months after the hepatitis B virus (HBV) enters a person’s body, but symptoms can occur sooner than one month or sometimes later than four months after exposure. Symptoms can range from mild to severe. Sometimes a person will not have any symptoms. Children often do not show signs of acute or chronic HBV infection.
Symptoms of Hepatitis B
Symptoms of hepatitis B infection can include [1]
- Fatigue or extreme tiredness
- Muscle and joint pain
- Fever
- Stomach or gastrointestinal problems including loss of appetite (not feeling hungry), nausea (feeling sick), vomiting (throwing up), stomach pain, and diarrhea
- Dark yellow urine (pee) and light-coloured stools (poop)
- Yellowing of the eyes and skin (jaundice)
Some of these symptoms are the same as many other types of viruses and infections while some are symptoms that are specific to the liver. Not everyone who contracts hepatitis B will experience severe symptoms, and most people do not experience any symptoms at all.
These symptoms are generally the same with both acute (short-term) and chronic (long-term) hepatitis B. In rare occasions acute liver failure may develop in people with hepatitis B. [2]
Extra-hepatic manifestations and symptoms
People can experience hepatitis B symptoms that are different from those that affect the liver directly or the symptoms listed above. These are known as extra-hepatic manifestations of the hepatitis B virus. This term is used to describe symptoms or disorders caused by the hepatitis B virus or HBV that occur in other areas of the body apart from the liver.
Sources
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hepatitis-b/symptoms-causes/syc-20366802