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Digestive and Liver Diseases

 Liver Diseases

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Clean habits can prevent most common forms of hepatitis

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FAQs Hepatitis B

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Hepatitis B FAQ

Q: What is viral hepatitis?

A: Hepatitis simply means an inflammatory process in the liver, which can be caused by chemicals, drugs, or viruses. The term “viral hepaitis” describes any one of the illnesses caused by five viruses, labeled A through E. Viruses A and E can be contracted from contaminated water or food, while viruses B, C, and D are transmitted by direct injection into the bloodstream.

Q: What is the hepatitis B virus?

A: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a unique virus currently found in more than 350 million people worldwide. HBV appears in many forms and causes a variable amount of disease from individual to individual. Many patients, after years of infection, develop cirrhosis with all its complications, but this is not the case for everyone. Some patients can develop liver cancer without cirrhosis.

Q: What are the symptoms of hepatitis B?

A: When most individuals become infected with the hepatitis B virus,they are not aware of the infection for several weeks, until they develop symptoms of acute hepatitis, such as nausea, fatigue, and jaundice. The acute hepatitis phase may last for several weeks and occasionally leads to hospitalization, but acute hepatitis B resolves completely in 95 percent of those infected. Others who do not develop significant symptoms following exposure may not be aware of the infection.

Q: How infectious is hepatitis B?

A: HBV is easily spread by any method in which bodily fluids come into contact with the blood stream of another individual. Those who are born from a HBV infected mother, who share needles for the purpose of intravenous drug use, who get tattoos or even earpiercing, who are inadvertently stuck by contaminated needles such as hospital personnel, or who have sexual contact with a hepatitis B virus-infected individual may become infected. Casual contact is rarely a problem.

Q: How does one guard against hepatitis B?

A: The hepatitis B vaccine is safe and effective in protecting those who have not been exposed to the virus previously. Hepatitis B vaccine is now part of the routine childhood immunizations recommended by the Center for Communicable Diseases and the American Academy of Pediatrics. Additionally, to guard against hepatitis B:

  • Do not share drug needles.
  • Wear gloves if you have to touch another person's blood.
  • Use a condom during sex.
  • Do not borrow another person's toothbrush, razor, or anything else that could have blood on it.
  • Make sure any tattoos or body piercings you get are done with sterile tools.

Q: What is the treatment for hepatitis B?

A: Chronic hepatitis B is treated with drugs that slow or stop the virus from damaging the liver. The length of treatment varies, depending on the drug or drug combinations selected for treatment.

 

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