Who Is Affected by Hepatitis B

Hepatitis B is one of the most easily spread (contagious) forms of viral hepatitis, which include hepatitis A, B, C, D, and E.

• About 38,000 new hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections occurred in the United States in 2009.¹
• About 1.2 million Americans have long-term (chronic) hepatitis B, and many acquired their infection in childhood.¹
• In the U.S., hepatitis B is most common in people ages 25 to 44.¹ People at greatest risk for HBV infection are those who inject illegal drugs, those who have more than one sex partner, and men who have sex with men.²
• Each year, about 3,000 people die in the U.S. from illnesses related to HBV infection.¹
• Worldwide, chronic HBV infection is a major cause of chronic liver disease and liver cancer.

References

Citations

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2009). Hepatitis B: Frequently asked questions for health professionals. Available online: http://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/HBV/HBVfaq.htm.

2. American Academy of Pediatrics (2006). Hepatitis B. In LK Pickering, ed., Red Book: 2006 Report of the Committee on Infectious Diseases, 27th ed., pp. 335–355. Elk Grove, IL: American Academy of Pediatrics.

Credits

By	Healthwise Staff
Primary Medical Reviewer	Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine
Specialist Medical Reviewer	W. Thomas London, MD - Hepatology
Last Revised	October 29, 2012