Hepatitis B Symptoms Singapore | HIV PEP
Hepatitis B Symptoms in Singapore: Hepatitis B is a serious viral infection that affects the liver. It is usually a short-term infection, but may persist and cause serious health problems.
Symptoms of hepatitis B
After you are exposed to hepatitis B virus, it may take 45 days to 180 days before you experience symptoms. The average is 60-90 days, although the duration of this incubation period depends on the amount of virus you were exposed to. You can pass hepatitis B infection to someone even if you have no symptoms.
Once symptoms begin, they may include joint pain, fever, vomiting, loss of appetite, clay-colored stools, flu-like symptoms, skin rashes, nausea, abnormal tiredness, abdominal pain, dark-colored urine, and jaundice (which is characterized by yellow discoloration of the eyes and the skin). Recovery from this phase of the illness usually occurs within 3-4 weeks. However, in severe cases, you may need to be hospitalized, due to a serious form of hepatitis B infection called fulminant hepatitis B. This results in liver failure. The condition is extremely serious and may be fatal.
In some cases, the hepatitis B infection disappears on its own. Some of those infected remain carriers of the virus, who have no symptoms but may pass it to others. This is why it’s important to get tested, even if your symptoms go away on their own.
If hepatitis B virus remains detectable for more than six months, it is called chronic hepatitis B. This can cause more serious problems, such as liver failure, scarring of the liver and even liver cancer.