Hepatitis B
When Hepatitis B virus attacks the human liver, we contract Hepatitis B.
Causes: Hepatitis B is caused due to contact with blood in hospitals, doctor’s consultancy, etc, which puts health care providers at great risk. It is also caused due to having unsafe sex with an infected person, or blood transfusions, by sharing needles while doing drugs, getting a tattoo done with a contaminated instrument or needle.
In addition, an infected mother can pass on the virus to her baby during delivery or when nursing the newborn. If you live with someone suffering with hepatitis B or healthcare workers, you too stand a chance of getting Hepatitis B.
Symptoms: It could be that if you suffer with HBV infection, you display no symptoms at all. But as you grow older, you are likelier to show symptoms, which mean you could suffer from it but not know it. Your likely symptoms include: yellow complexion and whites of the eyes, loss of appetite, nausea, fatigue, dark yellow urine, clay-colored bowel movements, stomach pain, and pain in the joints.
How it spreads: You can get HBV infection if you have sex with a HBV-infected person, have multiple sexual partners, use drugs, are gay, live with someone who has suffered chronic HBV infection, come into contact with human blood as part of your job, suffer from hemophilia and travel in Hepatitis B-rampant areas. You could also get it if your parents were born in Southeast Asia, the Amazon Basin in South America, Africa, the Pacific Islands, or the Middle East.
Diagnosis: Since people suffering with this infection do not display any signs of it, doctors diagnose Hepatitis B on the basis of blood tests. These are:
- Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg): This is the outer surface of the virus, so if you test positive on this one, you can pass on the virus very easily.
- Antibody to hepatitis B surface antigen (anti-HBs):If you test positive on this one, it means you have antibodies to HBV. Probably this is because you have already been vaccinated or this present problem is due to an earlier HBV infection. But you cannot infect anyone or be infected with it because you are protected by the vaccine.
- Antibody to hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc): If you test positive here, you have a chronic infection that can be transmitted to others. Perhaps you are still recovering from an earlier acute infection or have a slight immunity to HBV that can’t be detected.
Treatment: If you have been exposed to HBV, your doctor will give you an injection of Hepatitis B immune globulin. You will also be given a series of three injections of the hepatitis B vaccine. If you don’t display any symptoms, your doctor will monitor your condition, but if the liver damage is severe, liver transplantation could be the answer. In other cases, he will suggest drug therapies such as Interferon to increase your body immunity, Lamivudine (Epivir-HBV) and Adefovir dipivoxil (Hepsera) to prevent HBV from growing in your cells.
Vaccination: Newborns to 18-year-olds should be vaccinated against HBV. Three injections are given over a six-month period. This keeps you protected from this virus for about 23 years.
Go in for a vaccination and lead a hygienic life to avoid contracting HBV.