How Long Can You Live With Hepatitis B Without Treatment?

If you’ve been diagnosed with hepatitis B, you probably feel scared and worried about your future. You might wonder, “How long can you live with hepatitis B without treatment?” You might also want to know whether you’ll have to take medication for the rest of your life.

Some hepatitis B infections can clear up on their own, but if you test positive for the virus for longer than six months, you have chronic hepatitis B. Left untreated, this condition can cause cirrhosis, liver disease, and even cancer.

There is no cure for chronic hepatitis B, but the good news is you can keep the damage the virus does in check by taking your medication. So, if your doctor has prescribed you drugs, be sure to take them exactly as instructed.

Below, you’ll learn what it’s like to live with chronic hepatitis B and what happens if you don’t get treatment.

Living With a Chronic Hepatitis B Infection

Hepatitis B transmission is caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV). You may have contracted HBV by coming into contact with the blood of someone who’s infected with the virus. If you’re not sure whether you have hepatitis B, you can order a rapid STD test to find out.

Most people recover from the virus on their own in six months or less, and many don’t even know they’re infected at all. Once you’ve recovered from the virus, you can’t get it again.

Hepatitis B can be acute or chronic. If you develop symptoms with acute hepatitis, they might be very mild.

If your body can’t get rid of the virus, you have chronic hepatitis. It’s possible to control symptoms of chronic hepatitis B as long as you take your medication.

Just because you have hepatitis B doesn’t mean you can’t live a fairly normal life. One of the most important things you can do is take the best possible care of your liver.

If you’re a heavy drinker, it’s important you stop for your liver’s health. Even small amounts of alcohol can damage your already-stressed liver, which could lead to scarring or cancer.

If you smoke, consider quitting. Your liver has to process all the smoke you inhale, and a strained liver can have trouble handling toxic fumes from cigarettes.

It’s fine to enjoy a burger every once in a while, but to be on the safe side, limit how much greasy or fatty food you eat.

If you take medication, such as high blood pressure drugs, ask your liver specialist, hepatologist, or gastroenterologist if it’s safe to keep doing so. Certain drugs can hurt your liver when taken regularly.

What Happens When You Don’t Get Treated?

Hepatitis B doesn’t cause symptoms in everyone, but that’s not necessarily a good thing. If you have no symptoms but your body doesn’t clear the virus on its own, it can do serious hidden damage to your liver.

Hepatitis B begins as an acute infection with three stages: prodromal, preicteric, and icteric.

Early on, you might develop a fever, rash, joint pain, or swelling in your legs. These symptoms may linger for a few weeks.

In the next stage, you might feel like you’re coming down with the flu. You may have a fever, fatigue, muscle aches, cough, and nausea. You may also lose your appetite and have abdominal pain or diarrhea. Some people also have light stools and dark urine.

As the infection progresses, nausea and vomiting may worsen. You may feel too sick to eat anything, which could cause you to lose weight. Skin lesions and jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes) are telltale signs of late-stage hepatitis B.

After this, your hepatitis B symptoms could clear up, but that doesn’t always mean the virus has left your body. If left untreated, the virus can linger and do serious, sometimes irreversible, damage. 

Exactly how long can you live with hepatitis B without treatment? Infected people can live for 20 to 30 years before noticing any symptoms. After that, the prognosis depends on their condition.

This chronic medical condition usually progresses to cirrhosis (liver scarring) without treatment. You may begin to notice signs of liver failure.

Liver failure can cause jaundice, an enlarged spleen, and fluid retention in your abdomen (called ascites). You may have a swollen belly despite not eating much.

Liver failure often causes edema, or swelling in your legs and feet. It can also make you feel confused because your liver can’t process toxins that enter your body very well. As these toxins build up in your blood, they can make it hard to remember things, reason, and concentrate.

In the last stages of the infection, hepatitis B can develop into liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma). You have a 36% five-year survival rate if the cancer stays in your liver. If the cancer spreads to distant parts of your body, the five-year survival rate is just 3%.

When Should Treatment Start for Hepatitis B?

Health care providers will order a liver panel to check your liver function and look for abnormal levels of enzymes in your blood. Your doctor will likely also do blood tests (similar to our 10-panel STD test) to check for the presence of the hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg).

Your doctor might order a liver ultrasound or biopsy if tests are inconclusive. During a biopsy, they’ll take a slice of your liver tissue and look at it to figure out how much scarring is present.

If your biopsy indicates at least moderate fibrosis or you have detectable levels of the virus in your blood, your doctor will talk about treatment options right away.

Protecting Others From Hepatitis B

Hepatitis B is highly contagious, which means it’s easy to spread the virus to sexual partners and even your family. That doesn’t mean contracting hepatitis B is inevitable for your loved ones, though.

One of the best ways to prevent the spread of the virus is to wash your hands thoroughly after using the bathroom and before making food. If you have a baby, wash your hands before and after changing their diaper. Your family members should practice good handwashing, too.

If you come into contact with blood, such as touching a wound while bandaging a cut, wash your hands immediately afterward. Even better, wear disposable gloves before handling blood.

It’s also important to disinfect surfaces, particularly bathroom and kitchen counters, sinks, toilets, and door knobs, at least a few times per week. Without thorough disinfecting, hepatitis B outside the body can survive for at least seven days. To disinfect, make a solution of one part bleach and nine parts water. Sanitizing wipes kill the virus as well.

When you’re done cleaning a surface that may have been contaminated with hepatitis B, dispose of all paper towels and wipes in a well-sealed plastic bag. Wash your hands with plenty of soap and hot water, too.

Hepatitis B spreads easily via sexual activity. That doesn’t mean you have to stop enjoying sex forever. Wear a condom every time you have sex unless your doctor tells you it’s safe for you to go without.

Even though it can be embarrassing to do so, you should always tell your partners you have hepatitis B. Encourage them to get tested regularly to ensure they haven’t also contracted the virus.

Vaccinating Against Hepatitis B

The best way to prevent spreading hepatitis B to others is to ask them to get the vaccine. The hepatitis B vaccine isn’t a cure; rather, it stops the virus in its tracks so vaccinated people won’t get sick in the first place.

The hepatitis B vaccine is safe for all infants, kids, and adults. It doesn’t contain any live virus, making it safe for pregnant women as well. Doctors recommend that everyone who lives with you should get the vaccine if they’re not currently infected.

If someone in your home is unsure whether they’re vaccinated, they should get the vaccine anyway. Getting an extra dose of the vaccine won’t cause any harm.

Order Quick and Discreet STD Testing Now

Now that you know the answer to “How long can you live with hepatitis B without treatment?” you may wonder whether you’re infected with the virus. With our same-day STD testing, you can find out whether you have hepatitis B in just two days or less.

The process is hassle-free: Just order your test online, visit one of more than 2,500 labs nationwide, and you’ll get a notification of your results delivered straight to your inbox. Our testing is secure and highly private, too. Nobody will know your results except for you.

Order an STD test now or call (866) 872-1888 to find a lab near you.