Key points
- Many people with hepatitis B don't look or feel sick, especially young children.
- If hepatitis B symptoms occur, it is typically a few months after exposure.
- Contact your doctor if you experience any symptoms of hepatitis B or if you think you've been exposed.
Signs and symptoms
Many people with chronic hepatitis B don’t have symptoms and don’t know they are infected. If symptoms occur with an acute infection, they can appear any time between 8 weeks to 5 months after exposure. Symptoms usually last several weeks, but some people can feel sick for as long as 6 months.
Symptoms of hepatitis B
Symptoms of acute hepatitis B can include:
- Dark urine or clay-colored stools
- Feeling tired
- Fever
- Joint pain
- Loss of appetite
- Nausea, stomach pain, throwing up
- Yellow skin or eyes (jaundice)
Up to half of all older children, adolescents, and adults experience symptoms of acute hepatitis B. However, most children younger than 5 have no symptoms.
Symptoms of chronic hepatitis B can take decades to develop and may be similar to those of an acute infection.
Learn more about preventing and controlling hepatitis B.
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