Complications of hepatitis B•Cirrhosis•Liver cancer•Fulminant hepatitis B

Cirrhosis

Scarring of the liver (cirrhosis) affects around one in five people with chronic hepatitis B, often many years after they first contracted the infection and it is usually asymptotic until extensive damage to the liver has occurred.

trigger symptoms such as: tiredness and weakness, loss of appetite, weight loss, feeling sick, very itchy skin, tenderness or pain around the liver, swelling of the abdomen, swelling of the ankles

Liver cancer

Around 1 in 10 people with cirrhosis caused by chronic hepatitis B will go on to develop liver cancer.

Symptoms of liver cancer include: unexplained, weight loss, feeling sick, jaundice  

Fulminant hepatitis B

An uncommon and serious complication of acute hepatitis B is known as fulminant hepatitis B, where the immune system attacks the liver and causes extensive damage to it.

Fulminant hepatitis B occurs in around 1 in 100 adults with chronic hepatitis B, but is much rarer in children. This complication is a medical emergency and 7 out of 10 people will die from it.

It can lead to symptoms such as: mental confusion, swelling of the abdomen caused by a build-up of fluid, jaundice

Complications of hepatitis C

•Cirrhosis•Liver cancer•Liver failure

Liver failure

In severe cases of cirrhosis, the liver loses most or all of its functions which is known as liver failure or end stage liver disease.

Symptoms include: hair loss, build-up of fluid in the legs, ankles and feet (oedema), build-up of fluid in your abdomen that can make you look heavily pregnant (ascites), dark urine, black, tarry stools or very pale stools, frequent nosebleeds and bleeding gums, a tendency to bruise easily, vomiting blood

possible to sustain life for several years using medication. However, a  liver transplant is the only way to cure liver failure.

Other complications

dryness of the mouth and eyes (caused by the destruction of sweat, saliva and tear glands), patches of itchy skin (lichen planus), swelling inside the kidneys (glomerulonephritis), sensitivity to light, porphyria (blisters and ulcers on the skin), underactive or overactive thyroid gland, cryoglobulinemia (a disorder in which abnormal proteins may damage the skin, nervous system and kidneys)