Hepatitis B Viral Infection-Causes, Symptoms, Complications, Diagnosis, Treatment - hsmedlife

 

 


Hepatitis B is a severe infectious disease of the liver caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV). For some people, hepatitis B infection becomes chronic, that is, it lasts for more than six months. Chronic hepatitis B expands the danger of liver failure, liver cancer, or cirrhosis. Most adults who are infected with hepatitis B, even if their symptoms are very severe, fully recover, but infants and children often develop chronic hepatitis B infection. The vaccine can prevent hepatitis B, but there are no cures for this infection. If you are infected, you must take certain precautions to prevent the transmission of HBV to others.

Symptoms of   

Hepatitis B occurs within about four months of the virus entering the body. Symptoms and signs of hepatitis B:

·        Abdominal pain

·        Dark urine

·        Fever

·        Joint pain

·        Loss of appetite

·        Nausea and vomiting

·        Weakness and tiredness

 

When to see a doctor

Be sure to see a doctor if you have symptoms of hepatitis B, and if you know you have been infected, contact your doctor immediately, even if you have not yet had any symptoms. Prophylactic treatment may reduce the risk of infection if treatment is started within the first 24 hours of contact with the virus.

 

Causes

Hepatitis B infection is brought about by the hepatitis B virus (HBV). This virus is transmitted from person to person through blood, semen, or other body fluids, and is usually contagious:

Sexually. You can become infected during unprotected sex, when blood, saliva, semen, or vaginal secretions from an infected partner can enter your body.

Sharing needles. HBV is easily transmitted through needles and syringes that are infected with the blood of an infected person. For this reason, people who use intravenous anesthetics and share needles or syringes are also more likely to become infected with hepatitis B.

Accidental needle stick injuries. Physicians, health care workers, and anyone else working with human blood or other fluids are at higher risk.

HBV-infected women during childbirth can transmit the virus to their babies. However, vaccination of a newborn prevents infection in almost all cases. If you know you are pregnant or want to become pregnant, be sure to ask your doctor for a hepatitis B test.

Differences between acute and chronic hepatitis B

Hepatitis B infection can be short-term (acute) or long-term (chronic).

Acute hepatitis B infection keeps going under a half year. Within a few months, your immune system can get rid of the infection, and you should fully recover. Nevertheless, many people who become infected with hepatitis B, even as adults, develop a chronic infection.

Chronic hepatitis B infection goes on for a half year or more. When the immune system can no longer overcome an acute infection, it develops a chronic form that can last a lifetime and affect the development of serious diseases like liver cancer and cirrhosis of the liver.

The younger a person becomes infected with hepatitis B, the more likely they are to develop a chronic form, especially in the high-risk group of newborns and children under 5 years of age. Chronic hepatitis B infection can go undetected and undiagnosed for decades as long as a person develops the severe liver disease.

 

Complications

Chronic hepatitis B infection can lead to many serious complications, such as:

Cirrhosis of the liver. Inflammation caused by hepatitis B can cause scarring of the liver, which impairs liver function.

Liver cancer. People with chronic hepatitis B also have an increased risk of liver cancer.

Hepatic insufficiency. Acute liver failure is a condition in which all vital liver functions cease to function. In this case, a liver transplant is necessary to save a life.

 

Diagnosis of hepatitis B.

If your doctor suspects hepatitis B, a blood test will be performed to determine if you have HBV in your system and whether it is an acute or chronic infection. Your doctor may also decide to give you a liver biopsy to find out if you have liver damage. In this test, a thin needle is inserted through the skin into your liver and a small sample of tissue is taken for laboratory tests.

It is also important to check for healthy people against hepatitis B, as the virus can damage the liver, although the symptoms of the disease appear later. Particular attention should be paid to screening and prevention in people who:

·        Have sex with individuals with hepatitis B

·        Live with people with hepatitis B

·        Whose liver enzymes do not return to normal?

People living with HIV or hepatitis C · Immigrants or whose parents or adoptive parents are from places where hepatitis B is very common, including Asia, the Pacific Islands, Africa, and Eastern Europe

·        Using illegal drugs

·        Taking drugs that suppress the immune system, such as drugs used after organ transplantation

·        Prisoners

·        Pregnant women.

 

Treatment of hepatitis B and its complications

Hepatitis B immunoglobulin injection within 12 hours of exposure to the virus may help to protect you from the development of hepatitis B infection, so contact your doctor immediately if you have been exposed to the hepatitis B virus, especially if you have not been vaccinated or have not been vaccinated. Sure you should be vaccinated at the same time.

 

Treatment of acute hepatitis B infection

If your doctor diagnoses you with an acute hepatitis B infection, this may mean that this form is short-lived and will go away on its own, and no special treatment may be needed. Your doctor may recommend that you rest, drink plenty of fluids and eat properly while your body is fighting the infection.

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