What are the common symptoms of chronic hepatitis B and chronic hepatitis C?
Hepatitis B Not everyone will experience symptoms, however, as the immune system reacts to the virus symptoms such as jaundice, nausea, loss of appetite, tiredness, fever, joint pain, and abdominal pain can be experienced. Hepatitis C Symptoms are rare in the early stages of chronic infection. Symptoms can take many years to appear, and include fatigue, flu-like symptoms, abdominal pain, nausea, depression, loss of appetite and sleep disturbance. Some people may not experience any symptoms. 7. Is there a treatment available? Hepatitis B Effective treatments exist for hepatitis B but few people access treatment (around 5% of those eligible). Hepatitis B treatment aims to suppress the virus to prevent progression to serious liver disease. It does not provide a cure. There are two main types of treatment funded in Australia: • Pegylated interferon (also used for treating hepatitis C); • Anti-viral medications such as Lamivudine and Entecavir . Resistance to standard anti-viral medications
