Hepatitis B is a viral infection that attacks the liver and can cause both acute illness and chronic, lifelong disease. It spreads through contact with infected blood or bodily fluids—most commonly through childbirth, unprotected sex, shared needles, or accidental blood exposure in healthcare settings. While many people experience only mild symptoms, Hepatitis B can be dangerous, especially when it goes undetected.
What’s less widely known is that Hepatitis B can increase the risk of severe infections, including sepsis. When the liver is inflamed or damaged, the body’s ability to fight off infection becomes compromised. Chronic Hepatitis B can weaken the immune system and impair the liver’s vital role in filtering bacteria and toxins from the blood. This makes people living with liver disease far more vulnerable to developing serious bloodstream infections.
How to Lower Your Risk
- Get vaccinated: The Hepatitis B vaccine is safe, effective, and the best protection available.
- Know your status: A simple blood test can identify infection and guide monitoring or treatment.
- Seek prompt care for infections: Fever, chills, severe fatigue, or changes in mental state should never be ignored—these may be early signs of sepsis.
- Follow medical monitoring: People with chronic Hepatitis B should have regular check-ups to assess liver health and manage complications.
SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF HEPATITIS B:
Many people with Hepatitis B have no symptoms at all, especially early on. When symptoms appear, they may include:
- Fatigue
- Fever
- Loss of Appetite
- Nausea or Vomiting
- Abdominal Pain (especially on the right side)
- Dark Urine
- Clay-colored or Pale Stools
- Joint Pain
- Jaundice
Hepatitis B and Pediatrics
Newborns, infants, and young children are particularly vulnerable to hepatitis B. Unlike teens and adults, they face a much higher risk of developing chronic infection that can progress to serious, life-threatening conditions, including cirrhosis and liver cancer.
And of those who develop chronic hepatitis B infection, 15%–25% will die from the disease.
Hepatitis B Risk in Newborns and Children
Hepatitis B spreads through blood and bodily fluids—even in amounts too small to see—and the virus can survive on surfaces for days. Although it can be transmitted sexually or through contaminated needles, one of the most common ways children are infected worldwide is during birth from an infected mother.
The American Academy of Pediatrics also warns that hepatitis B can spread through everyday close contact in the home. Tiny amounts of blood—on a shared surface, a small cut, or a caregiver’s hands—can pass the virus to an infant, even if the person carrying the virus has no symptoms. This is why testing and vaccinating not only the baby but also parents, siblings, and anyone living with the infant is strongly recommended.
Infants who become infected rarely look sick at first, but they face a very high risk of developing lifelong, chronic hepatitis B. Up to 90% of babies infected at birth or in their first year will develop chronic infection, compared with just 5–10% of older children and adults.
