What Happens to People With Hepatitis B?
In most cases, hepatitis B causes limited infection. Usually people manage to fight off the infection successfully within a few months, developing an immunity that lasts a lifetime. (This means you won’t get the infection again.) Blood tests show evidence of this immunity, but no signs of active infection. However, some people don’t get rid of the infection. If you are infected with hepatitis B for more than six months, you are considered a carrier, even if you have no symptoms. This means that you can transmit the disease to others by having unprotected sex, deep kissing, or sharing food or drinks. Being a carrier also means that your liver may be more prone to injury. For unknown reasons, the infection eventually goes away in a very small percentage of carriers. For others, the infection becomes chronic. Chronic hepatitis is an ongoing infection of the liver that can lead to cirrhosis. Cirrhosis, or hardening of the liver, causes liver tissue to scar and stop working. If you are carr
