Handling Hepatitis B

You feel achy and feverish. In fact, your temperature has skyrocketed to 109 degrees. Your skin looks a little yellowish. It may be jaundice. You could have hepatitis B.

Hepatitis B is a serious liver infection caused by the hepatitis B virus. Having hepatitis B may lead to permanent scarring of the liver (cirrhosis), liver failure, or liver cancer.

Blessedly most adults recover from having had hepatitis B. Infants and children are more likely to develop chronic (long-lasting) hepatitis B infection.

A vaccine can prevent the virus but once you have hepatitis B, that’s it. There is no cure. And certain precautions must be taken to prevent the spread of hepatitis B to others.

Symptoms of hepatitis B may include abdominal pain, dark urine, fever, joint pain, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, weakness and fatigue, and yellowing of skin and whites of eyes. These symptoms usually show up one to four months if you are infected, but you can see them as soon as two weeks post-infection. Some people like young children may not have any symptoms at all. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 1.2 million people in the United States and 350 million people worldwide have hepatitis B. Many are unaware they have the virus. Every year, an estimated 3,000 people in the United States and more than 600,000 people worldwide die from hepatitis B related liver disease.

If you have been exposed to the hepatitis B virus, contact your doctor immediately. A preventative treatment may reduce your risk of infection if you receive the treatment within 24 hours of exposure to the virus.

Hepatitis B is caused by the hepatitis B virus. The virus is passed from person to person through blood, semen, and other body fluids. Some common ways to spread hepatitis B include sexual contact, sharing of needles, accidental needle sticks, and mother to child.

Hepatitis B infection can be short-term (acute) or long-lasting (chronic). Acute hepatitis B infection lasts less than six months. Your immune system goes to work clearing out hepatitis B out of your body. You should recover within a few months. Most people who have hepatitis B experience the acute infection but it can lead to chronic infection.

With chronic infection, symptoms last six months or longer. The infection stays because your immune system is unable to fight it off. Chronic hepatitis infection may last a lifetime, possibly leading to serious conditions such as cirrhosis and liver cancer. The younger you are when you get hepatitis B, the higher the risk of the infection becoming chronic. Chronic infection may go undetected for years until a person becomes gravely ill from liver disease.

Since hepatitis B is spread through blood, semen and other body fluids, your risk factor for the infection can increase in certain instances. Your risk for getting hepatitis B may be raised if you have unprotected sex with multiple partners or someone who is infected with hepatitis B virus; share needles during IV drug use; are a man who has sex with other men; live with someone who has chronic hepatitis B virus; are an infant born to an infected mother; have a job that exposes you to human blood; and travel to countries with high infection rates such as Asia, Pacific Islands, Africa, and Eastern Europe.

Having hepatitis B virus infection can lead to serious complications such as scarring of the liver (cirrhosis), which may prevent the liver from functioning properly; liver cancer; liver failure in which the vital functions of the liver shut down and you need a liver transplant to live; and other conditions like kidney disease and inflammation of blood vessels.  

One sure way to prevent hepatitis B is to get vaccinated. The hepatitis B vaccine is typically given as three or four injections over six months. You can’t get the virus from the vaccine. The hepatitis vaccine is recommended for:

·       Newborns

·       Children and adolescents not vaccinated at birth

·       Those that live and work in a developmentally disabled setting

·       People who live with someone who has hepatitis B

·       Health care workers, emergency workers, and other people who come in contact with blood

·       Anyone who has a sexually transmitted disease such as HIV

·       Men who have sex with men

·       People with multiple sexual partners

·       Sexual partners of someone with hepatitis B

·       People who inject illegal drugs or share needles and syringes

·       People with chronic liver disease

·       People with end-stage kidney disease

Some ways to take precaution regarding hepatitis B infection are to know the hepatitis B status of every sexual partner you have, use a latex or polyurethane condom every time you have sex, don’t use illegal drugs, be cautious about tattooing and body piercing, and ask about the hepatitis vaccine before traveling.

To diagnose hepatitis B, your doctor will look for signs of liver damage such as yellowing skin or belly pain. Some tests your doctor may run are blood tests to detect the condition in your body and whether or not it’s acute or chronic and a liver ultrasound to see the extent of the liver damage. Your physician may also perform a liver biopsy to remove a small sample of your liver to check for liver damage.

Treatment for the condition is varied depending on your level of exposure to the virus. For instance, if you have been exposed to hepatitis B and aren’t sure you were vaccinated, you should contact your health provider immediately. You can receive an injection of immunoglobin (antibody) within 12 hours of exposure to the virus to prevent you from being sick. Please be aware that the protection is short-term and you should receive the vaccine to be on the safe side.

If your doctor determines that you have acute hepatitis B, you may not need treatment at all. Instead you might be told to get plenty of rest, proper nutrition and fluids while your body fights the infection. In severe cases, antiviral drugs or a hospital stay are recommended.

For those diagnosed with chronic hepatitis B, they will need treatment for the rest of their lives. Treatment reduces the risk of liver disease and prevents you from passing the infection on to other people. Treatment for chronic hepatitis B may include antiviral medications such as entecavir (Baraclude), tenofovir (Viread), lamivudine (Epivir), adefovir (Hepsera) and telbivudine (Tyzeka) which may fight the virus and slow down any possible liver damage.

Interferon injections may be prescribed to fight the infection. It is used mainly by young people with hepatitis B who wish to avoid long term treatment or women who want to get pregnant in a few years.

Some severe cases may call for a liver transplant. During the transplant, your surgeon removes your damaged liver and replaces it with a healthy one. Most donors are deceased but there are some living donors who donate a portion of their livers.

In order to get the right treatment, you should learn more about hepatitis B and take care of yourself, especially your liver. Get tested for hepatitis A and C if necessary. Get vaccinated for hepatitis A. Familiarize yourself with the different specialists that handle hepatitis B patients like gastroenterologists or hepatologists. Lean on loved ones to get you through this time. There is definitely help (and hope) for those infected with hepatitis B.