Slightly abnormal blood test may point to a 'silent' form of hepatitis B

Silence isn’t always golden. In the case of hepatitis B, people with a past — and seemingly resolved — infection often don’t know that they still have a silent form of the disorder. Now, new research suggests that slightly abnormal results from a blood test, once thought to be a fleeting curiosity, can tip off doctors to the presence of this potentially infectious and lethal viral renegade.