When a person tests positive for hepatitis B, follow up with doctor for a medical evaluation is essential to determine whether the infection is acute (short-term) or chronic (long-term). Hepatitis B progresses through acute and chronic phases. After incubation, acute infection often causes few symptoms, though some experience fatigue, nausea, jaundice, or abdominal pain. Symptoms usually last one to four months; in rare instances, liver failure occurs. In some cases, the virus persists, causing chronic infection; this is most common in those infected at birth and is rare in adults.
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