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Complications
Having a chronic HBV infection eventually may lead to serious
liver diseases such as cirrhosis and liver cancer. Having had
HBV infection as an infant or child gives you a greater chance
of developing these illnesses as an adult.
In addition, hepatitis B puts you at risk of acute liver
failure — a condition in which all the vital functions of the
liver shut down. When that occurs, a liver transplant is
necessary to sustain life.
Anyone chronically infected with HBV is also susceptible to
infection with another strain of viral hepatitis — hepatitis
D. formerly known as delta virus, the hepatitis D virus needs
the outside coat of HBV in order to infect cells. You can't
become infected with hepatitis D unless you're already
infected with HBV.
Injection drug users with hepatitis B are most at risk, but
you can also contract hepatitis D if you have unprotected
sexual contact with an infected partner or live with someone
infected with hepatitis D. Having both hepatitis B and
hepatitis D makes it more likely you'll develop cirrhosis or
liver cancer.
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