Hepatitis B

 Hepatitis BHepatitis B

Hepatitis B


 

 

Terms You Should Know

  •  Antibodies : Proteins produced in response to a specific antigen (foreign body), which can then combine with that antigen and neutralize it. 

  • Bile : Greenish fluid formed by the liver and emptied into the small intestine via the bile ducts; contains bilirubin, bile salts, phospholipids, and cholesterol. 

  • Bilirubin: A bile pigment formed a s a breakdown product of old red blood cells; marked increase in blood levels can lead to jaundice from deposition of bilirubin in skin, mucous membranes, and whites of the eyes. 

  • Fulminant :Running a speedy course, with rapid worsening.

  • Hepatocytes : Liver cells. 

Hepatitis B is an inflammatory live disease caused by the Hepatitis B virus ( HBV) that results in liver cell damage. This damage can lead to scarring of the liver ( cirrhosis) and increased risk of liver cancer in some people. HBV is more contagious than the AIDS virus. It can live outside the body on a dry surface for up to 10 days. Once a person gets the virus, it may take 1-6 months for the infection and symptoms to develop. One of three things can then happen - most patients develop acute Hepatitis B and recover completely; a small percentage become HBV carriers; and some develop chronic Hepatitis B. 

Spread 

HBV is found in blood, seminal fluid, and vaginal secretions. The risk of transmission is increased in the following situations 

  • Sexual contact with an infected person. 

  • Living in the same household with an infected individual. 

  • Contact with infected blood or seminal fluid and contaminated needles, including tattoo/body piercing instruments. 

  • HBV-infected mother to her newborn at the time of delivery ( prenatal blood tests for HBV should always be done if there is a suspicion of HBV). During pregnancy, the virus is passed from an infected mother to her child in about 90 per cent of the cases. This usually occurs during delivery. HBV is also carried in breast milk. 

  • Users of injectable illegal substances /drugs

  • Haemophilics who require multiple injections. 

  • In about 30 per cent of all cases of Hepatitis B, however, it is unknown how the patient contracted the virus. This situation is known as community acquired disease. 
    Symptoms 

Many patients with acute Hepatitis B have no symptoms, or the symptoms are mild and often mistaken for flu. Their bodies are able to fight the virus off quickly. Some, however, can become quite sick while their bodies are fighting the virus. The following are symptoms of acute Hepatitis B:

  • Loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, fever. 

  • Muscle aches and sometimes joint pain. 

  • Tenderness in the right upper abdomen. 

  • Jaundice (yellowing of skin and eyes). 

  • Dark yellow urine. 

  • Putty-like or whitish stool. 

Diagnosis and Treatment
 Outcome 
Preventing HBV Infection. 
 Things not to do