Gastroenterology Consultants,SC: Diseases of the GI tract HEPATITIS B [<<back | list all>>] Hepatitis B is caused by the hepatitis B virus. Current estimates are that over 250,000 people in the United States contract Hepatitis B ( medically abbreviated as HBV) each year. It is often spread through sexual contact, accounting for about 50% of the reported cases. It is also spread through contact with blood or body fluids from a person carrying HBV.