Some patients with acute hepatitis B develop a serum sickness-like syndrome consisting of fever, rash, and arthralgias, nephritis, attributed to circulating immune complexes
higher fever, shaking chills, and headache, sometimes accompanied by right upper quadrant pain and tender liver enlargement
conjugated hyperbilirubinemia: dark-colored urine related to the presence of conjugated bilirubin. Later unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia can also occur
The stools may become light colored due to cholestasis, and the retention of bile salts may cause distressing pruritus
Chronic hepatitis is defined as ongoing inflammation for more than 6 months, with histologically documented inflammation and necrosis
The Carrier State : vertical transmission during childbirth, produces a carrier state 90% to 95% of the time. In contrast, only 1% to 10% of HBV infections acquired in adulthood