hepatitis B

noun

Definition of hepatitis B

: an acute or chronic hepatitis that is caused by a DNA virus (species Hepatitis B virus of the genus Orthohepadnavirus, family Hepadnaviridae), is marked chiefly by fatigue, fever, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, darkened urine, jaundice, and joint pain but may be asymptomatic, and is transmitted especially by contact with infected blood (as by transfusion or by sharing contaminated needles in illicit intravenous drug use) or by contact with other infected bodily fluids (such as semen)

Note: The acute form of hepatitis B, a mild illness lasting several weeks to months, may progress to long-term or chronic infection often leading to liver damage, liver failure, or liver cancer.

— called also serum hepatitis

Examples of hepatitis B in a Sentence

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Of the five cases described in the new report, three individuals had hepatitis B or C and one had diabetes. — Rachael Rettner, Scientific American, "“Flesh-Eating” Bacteria May Be Spreading to Beaches Once Thought Off-Limits," 18 June 2019 This was the case for all five of the patients, some of whom had untreated hepatitis B or hepatitis C. Four survived, thanks to antibiotics and surgeries to remove necrotic skin, and one died. — Mandy Oaklander, Time, "Climate Change May Be Spreading Flesh-Eating Bacteria to Unexpected Waters," 17 June 2019 Patients developed hepatitis B, meningitis, and urinary tract, e. coli and staph infections, the court document claims. — Jessica Seaman, The Denver Post, "At least one death, “hundreds of severe infections” linked to Porter hospital’s use of contaminated surgical instruments, lawsuit alleges," 16 June 2019 Indeed, fewer and fewer people catch hepatitis B every year worldwide. — Quanta Magazine, "Vaccines Are Pushing Pathogens to Evolve," 10 May 2018 In Los Angeles, practitioners simply have to register with county officials, get a hepatitis B shot, and take a two-hour bloodborne-pathogens training course to start working as a semipermanent-makeup artist. — Monica Corcoran Harel, Marie Claire, "What Is Cosmetic Tattooing? Read This Before You Get One," 29 Mar. 2019 Vaccines can prevent hepatitis A and hepatitis B, but no vaccines have been developed to protect against the other three diseases. — USA TODAY, "5 kinds of hepatitis all attack one organ in the body," 29 May 2018 According to the researchers, 71% of liver-cancer cases can potentially be prevented through lifestyle changes, such as not smoking, increasing physical activity, losing weight and preventing hepatitis B and C viruses. — Amy Dockser Marcus, WSJ, "Cancer Deaths Decline 27% Over 25 Years," 8 Jan. 2019 Like hepatitis B, hepatitis C has no connection to food. — Shari Rudavsky, Indianapolis Star, "Hepatitis outbreaks: 10 things to know about the liver disease," 15 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hepatitis B.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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22 Jun 2019

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The first known use of hepatitis B was in 1971

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More Definitions for hepatitis B

hepatitis B

noun

\ -ˈbē

Medical Definition of hepatitis B

: an acute or chronic hepatitis that is caused by a double-stranded DNA virus (species Hepatitis B virus of the genus Orthohepadnavirus, family Hepadnaviridae), is marked chiefly by fatigue, fever, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, darkened urine, jaundice, and joint pain but may be asymptomatic, and is transmitted especially by contact with infected blood (as by transfusion or by sharing contaminated needles in illicit intravenous drug use) or by contact with other infected body fluids (as semen)

Note: The acute form of hepatitis B, a mild illness lasting several weeks to months, may progress to long-term or chronic infection often leading to liver damage, liver failure, or liver cancer.

— called also serum hepatitis