It is an infection of the liver caused by the hepatitis B virus. Even the term 'hepatitis' simply refers to inflammation of the liver. It can be caused by a number of viruses or other infections, medications, or toxins like alcohol.
Apart from hepatitis B, other hepatitis viruses that can cause injury to liver cells are hepatitis A and hepatitis C. However, these viruses are not related to each other or to the hepatitis B virus, thus they differ in number of ways like in their structure, mediums of spreading, symptoms, treatment, and the outcome of the infection. On the other side, other hepatitis viruses like hepatitis D, hepatitis E, and hepatitis G do not often cause diseases.
Hepatitis B condition …show more content…
A number of people with chronic hepatitis B might not experience symptoms unless their livers become severely damaged.
In case hepatitis B develops into serious liver damage, like liver cancer or cirrhosis, there are chances that symptoms might become more prominent. The symptoms mostly include fatigue, muscle weakness, poor appetite, bruising, nausea, itchy skin, weight loss, gray-colored stools, jaundice and fluid accumulation in the lower extremities, which have further discussed below.
1. Fatigue
One of the most common and underestimated symptom of hepatitis B is fatigue. However, in the acute cases, doctors generally advise patients’ bed rest and low physical exertion. While in the chronic phase, the medical provider most probably try to rule out any other medical conditions that can contribute to fatigue, like depression, pain, insomnia, thyroid problems and sleep apnea.
2. Appetite loss
Those with hepatitis B are likely to experience a severe appetite loss along with a significant weight loss. For a proper diagnosis, make sure to discuss this with your health care provider as he might further refer you to a nutritionist or