Hepatitis B is an infection that causes damage to your liver and it causes both long-term and short-term diseases. It can be passed from a pregnant woman to their baby during birth.
Besides, hepatitis B can be transmitted through contact with blood, semen, unsafe injections, or sharp instruments. Most individuals with hepatitis B are at a higher risk of liver cancer, liver failure, or liver cirrhosis.
Furthermore, people who are exposed to this virus include sex workers, gay men, those with multiple sex workers, nurses, coming into contact with some with hepatitis B, or those who don’t observe good hygiene.
Hepatitis B can either be acute (short-term) or chronic (long-term). Acute hepatitis B has symptoms that appear quickly in adults, but they are only acute in infants who are infected at birth. For chronic hepatitis B, all the infections in infants become chronic if no vaccine is given.
According to WHO, hepatitis B claimed an estimated 820, 000 lives, from primary liver cancer and liver cirrhosis. Luckily, hepatitis B can be prevented by vaccines that are safe and effective for infants, children, and adults.
Contents
How is Hepatitis B Transmitted?
Hepatitis B is transmittable through contact with infected blood and other body fluids. The virus is found in saliva, but it cannot be spread through kissing, coughing, sneezing, breastfeeding, or sharing utensils.
After exposure to the hepatitis B virus, the symptoms may not appear for 3 months and they last for up from 2 to 12 weeks. However, you can be contagious even when there are no symptoms. Hepatitis B virus can easily survive outside your body for 7 days.
When the virus is transmitted in childhood or infancy, it develops into chronic hepatitis B.
The possible transmission methods include:
- Close contact with a person with HPV
- Direct contact with infected blood
- Being injected with a contaminated needle
- Direct transfer from the mother to baby during birth
- Unprotected sex mostly oral and anal sex
- Sharing personal items with an infected person.
Symptoms of Hepatitis B
When newly infected, a big percentage doesn’t show symptoms. Most people don’t get the symptoms until 2 or 3 months after the infection and they can last up to 3 months. Hepatitis B symptoms are acute (short-term).
Some the acute symptoms include:
- Abdominal pain
- Dark urine
- Pale stool
- Diarrhoea
- Unexplained weight loss and loss of appetite
- Flu-like symptoms, including fever, tiredness, aches, and pains
- Jaundice (yellowish eyes and skin)
If you notice any acute hepatitis B symptoms, consider going for a medical checkup. The symptoms are worse in infants and those aged 60 years and above. Still, if your body will not be able to fight acute symptoms after 6 months, the infection can accelerate to chronic hepatitis B.
When it gets to chronic hepatitis B, you are at a higher risk of liver disease, cancer of the liver, liver failure, or cirrhosis.
Diagnosing Hepatitis B
Hepatitis B is usually diagnosed with blood tests. There are different blood tests available and they can be used to distinguish whether your infections are acute or chronic. Here are some blood tests doctors can perform to diagnose hepatitis B.
Hepatitis B core antigen test
This test, it will show whether you are currently infected with hepatitis B virus. If the results are positive, it can mean you have either acute or chronic infections. Still, there can be a possibility that you are recovering from hepatitis B.
Hepatitis B surface antigen test
The test detects the actual presence of hepatitis B virus in your blood. When the results are positive, it means you are currently infected with hepatitis B and you can easily pass the infection to others. However, the test cannot distinguish between an acute or chronic infection.
Hepatitis B antibody test
This test checks for any antibodies made by the immune system to fight hepatitis B. Positive results mean you have hepatitis B infection and you are immune to hepatitis B.
The reasons for positive results it’s either you have been vaccinated or you have recovered from acute hepatitis B virus and you are no longer contagious.
Liver Function Tests
There are many liver tests important to people with liver disease or hepatitis B. For instance, there are bilirubin tests, ALT, and AST tests. These tests measure the enzymes released by your liver in response to liver disease.
For bilirubin test, it measures how good the liver makes albumin and how well bilirubin is disposed. Still, the tests can check the number of enzymes produced by the liver. If there are higher levels of enzymes, it shows liver inflammation or damage.
If the tests are positive, you should be tested for hepatitis B, C, or other viral infections. In some cases, you will require imaging tests and an ultrasound test.
Treatment
Acute hepatitis B doesn’t require treatment because most people overcome the infection. However, you have to maintain a healthy diet, stay hydrated to ensure you replace the fluids lost from diarrhoea and vomiting, and you have to avoid unnecessary medications.
Furthermore, you can take antiviral medications that help fight the virus and they reduce the risk of liver complications. If your liver is severely damaged, a liver transplant will be needed to enhance your survival.
Hepatitis B Complications
When you have chronic hepatitis B, it can lead to serious complications, such as:
- Liver cancer
- Liver cirrhosis (scarring of the liver)
- Inflammation of blood vessels
- Liver failure
- Hepatitis D infection
- Death.
How can you Prevent Hepatitis B
Hepatitis B vaccine is the best way to prevent hepatitis B virus. WHO recommends hepatitis B vaccine to infants after birth. The vaccine is preferred within 24 hours followed by 3 doses of hepatitis B vaccine at least 4 weeks apart to ensure the infant is well protected.
This vaccine is efficient enough to give protection for a lifetime and booster vaccinations are not recommended when you have already completed the 3-dose vaccination.
Hepatitis B vaccine is recommended for:
- All infants
- Children and adolescents who didn’t get it at birth
- Any adult being treated for sexually transmitted infections
- HIV positive individuals
- Gay men
- Those who work at places where they come into contact with blood
- People with multiple sex partners
- Those living with family members with hepatitis B
- If you have or at higher risk for chronic diseases
- When travelling to developing countries or areas with high rates of hepatitis B
- Those with end-stage kidney disease.
In a nutshell, hepatitis B is preventable only when you take the right measures to avoid the infection. The best way is to get the hepatitis B vaccine which is not expensive and it is safe for everyone. Normalize practicing safe sex, avoid drug abuse, and don’t have multiple sex partners.
If you want to travel to a country with high rates of hepatitis B, make sure you get a vaccination weeks before leaving.