hepatitis B

Today..i want to blog about Hepatitis B....ramai yang ingin tahu mengenai hepatitis B ini.....

Screening utk Hepatitis selalunya di buat keatas pelajar IPTA dan IPTS..pekerja asing..dan mereka yang nak pergi belajar kat oversea....

Hepatitis is a general term that means inflammation of the liver.

• Hepatitis B is caused by infection with the hepatitis B virus (HBV). This infection has 2 phases: acute and chronic.
• Acute (new, short-term) hepatitis B occurs shortly after exposure to the virus. A small number of people develop a very severe, life-threatening form of acute hepatitis called fulminant hepatitis.
• Chronic (ongoing, long-term) hepatitis B is an infection with HBV that lasts longer than 6 months. Once the infection becomes chronic, it may never go away completely.
• About 90-95% of people who are infected are able to fight off the virus so their infection never becomes chronic. Only about 5-10 percent of adults infected with HBV go on to develop chronic infection.
• HBV infection is one of the most important causes of infectious hepatitis.

• People with chronic HBV infection are called chronic carriers. About two-thirds of these people do not themselves get sick or die of the virus, but they can transmit it to other people. The remaining one third develop chronic hepatitis B, a disease of the liver that can be very serious.

Hepatitis B is the most common serious liver infection in the world. Worldwide, about 350 million people are chronic carriers of HBV, of whom, more than 250,000 die from liver-related disease each year.

The good news is that infection with HBV is almost always preventable.

You can protect yourself and your loved ones from hepatitis B.

Hepatitis B Causes

• The hepatitis B virus is known as a blood-borne virus because it is transmitted from one person to another via blood.
• Semen and saliva, which contain small amounts of blood, also carry the virus.
• The virus can be transmitted whenever any of these bodily fluids come in contact with the broken skin or a mucous membrane (in the mouth, genital organs, or rectum) of an uninfected person.

• People who are at increased risk of being infected with the hepatitis B virus include the following:
• Men or women who have multiple sex partners, especially if they don't use a condom
• Men who have sex with men
• Men or women who have sex with a person infected with HBV
• People with other sexually transmitted diseases
• People who inject drugs with shared needles
• People who receive transfusions of blood or blood products
• People who undergo dialysis for kidney disease
• Institutionalized mentally handicapped people and their attendants and family members
• Health care workers who are stuck with needles or other sharp instruments contaminated with infected blood
• Infants born to infected mothers

• In some cases, the source of transmission is never known.

• The younger you are when you become infected with the hepatitis B virus, the more likely you are to develop chronic hepatitis B. The rates of progression to chronic hepatitis B are as follows:
• 90% of infants infected at birth
• 30% of children infected at age 1-5 years
• 6% of people infected after age 5 years
• 5-10% of infected adults

• You cannot get hepatitis B from the following activities:
• Being sneezed or coughed on
• Hugging
• Handshaking
• Breastfeeding
• Eating food or drinking water
• Casual contact (such as an office or social setting)

Hepatitis B Symptoms

• Half of all people infected with the hepatitis B virus have no symptoms.

• Symptoms develop within 30-180 days of exposure to the virus. The symptoms are often compared to flu. Most people think they have flu and never think about having HBV infection.
• Appetite loss
• Feeling tired (fatigue)
• Nausea and vomiting
• Itching all over the body
• Pain over the liver (on the right side of the abdomen, under the lower rib cage)
• Jaundice - A condition in which the skin and the whites of the eyes turn yellow in color
• Urine becomes dark in color (like cola or tea).
• Stools are pale in color (grayish or clay colored).

• Many types of acute viral hepatitis have similar symptoms (hepatitis A, hepatitis C).

• Fulminant hepatitis is an unusual illness. It is a severe form of acute hepatitis that can be life threatening if not treated right away. The symptoms develop very suddenly.
• Mental disturbances such as confusion, lethargy, extreme sleepiness or hallucinations (hepatic encephalopathy)
• Sudden collapse with fatigue
• Jaundice
• Swelling of the abdomen

• Symptoms of liver failure may include the following:
• Fluid retention causing swelling of the belly (ascites) and sometimes the legs
• Weight gain due to ascites
• Persistent jaundice
• Loss of appetite, weight loss, wasting
• Vomiting with blood in the vomit
• Bleeding from the nose, mouth, or rectum or blood in the stool
• Hepatic encephalopathy (excessive sleepiness, mental confusion, and in advanced stages, development of coma)

Exams and Tests

Since many people with hepatitis B do not have symptoms, they do not know they have the disease.

• Hepatitis B is often discovered accidentally when you see your health care provider for another reason.
• Blood tests done for an annual check-up, insurance purposes, or before surgery may show abnormalities in the liver test results.

If your health care provider determines that you may be at risk for contracting hepatitis, you will have blood drawn.

• The laboratory will examine the blood to determine how well your liver is functioning, if this has not already been done.
• Your blood will be tested to determine whether you have been exposed to certain hepatitis viruses and, possibly, other viruses.

Medical Treatment

Acute hepatitis B infection

The most severe effect of acute hepatitis B is dehydration from vomiting and diarrhea.

• If you are dehydrated, your doctor may prescribe IV fluid to help you feel better.

• If you are experiencing significant nausea and vomiting, you will receive medicines to control these symptoms.

• People whose symptoms are well controlled can be cared for at home.

• If dehydration or other symptoms are severe or if you are extremely confused or difficult to arouse, you may need to stay in the hospital.

• There is no treatment that can prevent acute HBV infection from becoming chronic.

Chronic hepatitis B infection

The degree of liver damage is related to the amount of active, replicating (multiplying) virus in the blood and liver. Regularly measuring the amount of HBV DNA in the blood gives a good idea of how fast the virus is multiplying. The treatments now in use are antiviral drugs, which stop the virus from multiplying.

Medications

All of the following medications described that are used to treat chronic hepatitis B are antiviral medications. They stop or slow replication of the virus in the body. This then gives the liver a chance to heal itself. Although these medications are similar in some ways, they differ in other important ways. Talk to your health care provider about the best medication for you.

Interferon alfa-2b (Intron A) - Interferon was the standard treatment of chronic hepatitis B for several years.

• Interferon stops the infection in about 40% of people. In these people, the infection usually does not return.

Lamivudine (Epivir) - This medication is considered an alternative for people who cannot or do not want to take interferon. It also may be prescribed in people with weakened immune systems.

Adefovir dipivoxil (Hepsera) - This antiviral drug was approved by the FDA in 2002.

• Adefovir slows replication of HBV.

• It is a pill that must be taken every day, like lamivudine.

Entecavir (Baraclude) – This antiviral is the newest medication approved for chronic hepatitis B.

• Entecavir slows replication of HBV.

Prevention

There is a vaccine against the hepatitis B virus (Engerix-B, Recombivax HB). It is safe and works well to prevent the disease. A total of 3 doses of the vaccine are given over several months.

Other ways to protect yourself from HBV infection:

• If you are sexually active, practice safe sex. Correct use of latex condoms can help prevent transmission of HBV, but even when used correctly, condoms are not 100% effective at preventing transmission. Men who have sex with men should be vaccinated against both hepatitis A and hepatitis B.
• If you inject drugs, don't share needles or other equipment.
• Don't share anything that might have blood on it, such as a razor or toothbrush.
• Think about the health risks if you are planning to get a tattoo or body piercing. You can become infected if the artist or piercer does not sterilize needles and equipment, use disposable gloves, or wash hands properly.
• Health care workers should follow standard precautions and handle needles and sharps safely.
• If you are pregnant or think you might be pregnant, tell your health care provider if you have any of the risk factors for HBV infection.