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Hepatitis B

Hepatitis B is a virus that infects the liver. Most adults who get it have it for a short time and then get better. But sometimes the virus causes a long-term infection, called chronic hepatitis B. Over time, this can lead to liver damage or liver cancer.

The virus spreads through the blood of an infected person or through sexual contact with an infected person.

Last Revised: October 29, 2012

Author: Healthwise Staff

Medical Review: Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine & W. Thomas London, MD - Hepatology

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