What is Hepatitis B?

[smartusha]

Hepatitis B is a serious disease worldwide caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV). It can lead to complications including chronic hepatitis (persistent liver inflammation), liver cirrhosis (hardening of the liver), liver failure and liver cancer.
It is spread by individuals with active disease and, more significantly, by an estimated 300-350 million carriers worldwide. About 2000 million people get infected with th virus and 2 million people die each year from consequential liver disease.

The Symptoms
The first symptoms are like those of flu - fever, chills, tiredness, headache, abdominal pain, vomiting, loss of appetite, aching muscles and joints. Later on, jaundice (yellowness) of th skin and whites of the eyes develops; there will be also dark urine and pale stools.
Hepatitis A & B infections manifest almost similar in infected patients.

The Transmission
The virus is transmitted through infected blood or other body fluids such as semen and vaginal secretion. The disease can therefore be contacted through the use of infected personal hygine items e.g. razor blades, toothbrushes etc. or needles, or through sexual intercourse with infected person.

The People At Risk
1.People who play contact sports are likely to suffer cuts and abrasions
2. Healthcare workers, laboratory technicians and other workers who come frequently into contact with blood derivatives.
3. Sexually promiscuous youths, homosexuals, prostitutes.
4. Persons receiving acupuncture treaments or who are having themselves tattooed.
5. Frequent travelers to more highly endemic areas in the region.
6. Babies born to carrier mothers
7. Close contacts of acute hepatitis B patients and chronc carriers.
8. Intravenous drug abusers.

[amanda]

from what i have read some time ago, hepatitis B is often not diagnosed because it is a silent disease. so early detection is very important for a carrier.

[copit]

what are the methods of Diagnosis of hepatitis?

[David44]

Hello
Hepatitis B is one of the most common infectious diseases in the world. Hepatitis B, a virus that infects the liver, is passed from one person to the other by blood and body fluids. Hepatitis B infections are either acute or chronic. Acute hepatitis B can last from a few weeks to a few months and you may recover yourself. Chronic hepatitis B is a disease that may remain for life and can lead to serious liver diseases, including liver cancer.

[anu]

Hepatitis B is diagnosed from the results of specific HBV blood tests (There are three standard blood tests for HBV) that reflect the various components of the HBV. The diagnosis is made on the basis of a blood sample which will demonstrate antibodies against hepatitis B components in the patient's blood. The blood sample can demonstrate the presence of several different viral components.

Patients with chronic infections have the viral component called HBsAg. When HBsAg is present, the infectiousness of the disease is at its highest and in the long run, those patients are at increased risk of developing complications. A blood test for liver function can determine the severity of the disease - the extent to which the liver is affected by the virus. In cases of chronic type B hepatitis, the severity of the disease can be determined by a tissue sample from the liver.

[lencemark]

Hepatitis B is a potentially life-threatening liver infection caused by the hepatitis B virus. It is a major global health problem and the most serious type of viral hepatitis. It can cause chronic liver disease and puts people at high risk of death from cirrhosis of the liver and liver cancer.

Worldwide, an estimated two billion people have been infected with the hepatitis B virus (HBV), and more than 350 million have chronic (long-term) liver infections.

A vaccine against hepatitis B has been available since 1982. Hepatitis B vaccine is 95% effective in preventing HBV infection and its chronic consequences, and is the first vaccine against a major human cancer.

[ianspencer]

Anyone can get hepatitis B through contact with an infected person’s blood, semen, or other body fluid. A person could get hepatitis B from:

being born to a mother with hepatitis B
having sex with an infected person
being tattooed or pierced with unsterilized tools that were used on an infected person
getting an accidental needle stick with a needle that was used on an infected person
using an infected person’s razor or toothbrush
sharing drug needles with an infected person