Hepatitis B - Signs and Symptoms in Men

Hepatitis B is one of the most serious blood diseases around at present. Technically speaking any Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver but when this is caused by the type B virus, it is known as Hepatitis B. it is estimated that around 200,000 people contract this infection every year in the United States alone while 10-15,000 of them go on to develop a chronic form of the disease. Interestingly enough, men are six times more likely to contract the virus than women even though scientists and researchers are not clear why. One of the things which makes Hepatitis B dangerous that it can go on to cause complications like cirrhosis and even death. Thus it is extremely important to watch out for signs and symptoms of Hepatitis B.

TIP: Get yourself tested for Hepatitis B quickly, with full confidentiality.

1. What makes Hepatitis B difficult to spot is the fact that of all the adults who contract the disease, around 95 percent get well on their own and do not go on to develop the chronic form of the disease. These people usually display no symptoms at all or maybe only mild ones which can be easily confused with signs of a stomach upset. Many adults will clear the virus out of their systems in about six months of first contracting it.
    
2. However some people may seem healthy but they are actually chronic carriers of Hepatitis B. They are not infectious to others and can appear to live a normal life. However they have a slightly higher risk of developing liver cirrhosis and liver cancer as compared to the general populace. The virus can be reactivated when their natural immune system is suppressed as during severe illnesses, treatment with steroids or immunosuppressant drugs for diseases like HIV and cancer. People who are healthy chronic carriers of Hepatitis B may sometimes display symptoms like nausea, fatigue, loss of appetite and a general malaise.
    
3. In case of chronic infectious Hepatitis B, the person is highly infectious to others. He may or may not displays other symptoms like nausea, lack of appetite and fatigue but usually his liver is enlarged and even damaged. This kind of Hepatitis B is most likely to progress to other complications including liver cirrhosis.
    
4. There is also another type of the disease known as chronic mutant Hepatitis B where the person has a mutant strain of the disease-causing Hepatitis B virus. In this case the person has the potential to be infectious to others and is also more resistant to conventional treatment as compared to the other types.
    
5. When Hepatitis B infection erupts in an acute form, the person may suffer from loss of appetite, nausea and pain in the abdomen which is probably because of an inflamed and enlarged liver. He may experience general malaise or even extreme fatigue. All these symptoms can be confused with stomach flu but if treatment is delayed, things can get worse which is why it is necessary to consult a doctor if there is no relief even after more than a few days.
    
6. Color changes affecting certain parts and functions of the body are other signs of a Hepatitis B infection. Among the most significant of these is jaundice which means a yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes. One of the functions of a healthy liver is to remove bilirubin from the blood; but when the liver is not working well, the levels of bilirubin rise in the blood and lead to a yellowish coloring of the skin and sclera. Then you may also notice a darkening of your urine to the extent it become cola-colored. Lighter, clay-colored stools are another symptom which occurs because the virus sheds in the stools.
    
7. Inflammation due to chronic Hepatitis B may lead to cirrhosis or the scarring of liver. In this case the patient may exhibit the usual symptoms like fatigue, nausea and weight loss but men are more likely to display breast enlargement, a rash on the palms, difficulty with blood clotting as well as spider-like blood vessels on the skin.
    
8. Partly why Hepatitis B is dangerous is because it can quickly deteriorate and lead to liver failure. In men this may reveal itself as sudden unexplained weight gain, fluid retention especially in the legs and the belly. In some cases there may also be blood in vomit as well as bleeding from orifices such as the nose and rectum. All these are signs that the liver is failing fast and requires emergency medical care.
    
9. An extreme form of complication arising out of hepatitis is known as fulminant hepatitis. This may begin with fatigue and nausea but quickly go on to display the symptoms of acute Hepatitis B. around two weeks after the onset of jaundice; encephalopathy develops which is usually a distinctive sign of this condition. In its mild form, encephalopathy reveals itself as short term memory loss, changes in sleep pattern, slurring of speech and small behavioral changes. In its severe form however, the patient may experience significant memory loss like forgetting the date, year, his name or address, confusion, inappropriate behavior, poor coordination, asterixis which is an uncontrollable flapping of the hands as well as fetor hepaticus or foul smelling breath. All these may lead to coma and even death if immediate medical care is not provided.
    
10. Diagnostic tests are usually the best way to confirm Hepatitis B since in many cases its symptoms are mild and can be confused with other conditions like flu. A blood test will show the presence of the disease while a Hepatitis B serology test will reveal the type of disease as well as the strain of virus causing it. Liver function tests reveal to what extent the liver is functioning while the protein tests determines abnormal levels of liver proteins like albumin, prothrombin and immunoglobin. However the most accurate diagnosis of the type Hepatitis B and strain of the virus remains the liver biopsy.