Infection with the Hepatitis B-virus (HBV) has a few possibilities due to the virus' nature and the body's immunological response:


1. For 90% of all cases, acute infection with HBV ends with complete recovery and life-long immunity.During this type of acute infection, the immune system clears the virus completely and creates protective antibodies (Anti-HBs) that remain in the body for life. There are very rare acute cases, so called "fulminant B-hepatitis", wherein the immune response is so strong that the antibodies can destroy the entire liver... which is fatal;


2. In 8% of cases, an HBV acute infection turns into a chronic infection. In this case, the immune system fights the virus by destroying the infected liver cells but can’t clean the system of the virus completely. The virus then infects more liver cells, and more infected liver cells are destroyed by the immune system. To be clear, the HBV virus does not kill the liver cells but immune system does. The progression and severity of this type of chronic B-hepatitis is variable in different patients but consequences are fatal (cirrhosis or liver cancer).


3. In 2% of all cases, there is no immune response against the virus; the immune system tolerates the virus. On the other hand, the virus lives in the liver cells without damaging them. Such infected people are called "carriers" and HBs-Ag. can be detected in their blood. Carriers are completely healthy and safe except that they can transfer the virus to other people parenteraly: via unprotected sex, blood to blood contact, using the same needle in intravenous drug-abusers and from mother to the baby during the pregnancy. A Carrier can get married, but their partners must be first immunized against HBV.