In modern society, they are often interested in the following question: “Hepatitis B - what is it?” Everything is explained by the widespread spread of this disease and the increased risk of infection.
Hepatitis B is a serious disease that affects liver cells and can lead to death. It is caused by the HBV virus. Hepatitis B poses the greatest danger in the future, since in most cases it proceeds without obvious signs. Symptoms and treatment of hepatitis B must be known to every modern person. The disease is difficult to treat, but if a person who has hepatitis B manages to recover, he will develop the necessary antibodies that provide stable immunity.
In this article, we will consider the following issues related to a disease called hepatitis B:
• How is it transmitted?
• Prevention of the disease.
• Treatment of hepatitis B.
How does infection happen?
Hepatitis B virus is extremely viable. For him, such factors as boiling, freezing, processing with highly toxic chemicals are not harmful. At room temperature, the virus can survive for a very long time. It is dangerous, even when in a dried-up, stained stain of blood or saliva. In terms of contagiousness, it exceeds hundreds of times the AIDS virus.
The most frequently asked question is: “How is hepatitis B transmitted?” To get sick, a small amount of the virus enters the bloodstream of a person. Routes of infection are also the mucous membranes and damaged skin. Through the blood, this virus reaches the liver cells, where it settles and multiplies. In this case, a change in the tissues of this organ occurs. Own lymphocytes of a diseased person begin to attack and damage altered cells, damaging the condition of the liver.
The main danger is the blood of a sick person. Most often, hepatitis B is transmitted in the following ways:
1. In beauty salons (manicure, pedicure, piercing).
2. In tattoo parlors (including when permanent makeup is done).
3. In the process of blood or serum transfusion.
4. During the hemodialysis procedure through devices.
5. When using other people's razors, toothbrushes, towels and other personal hygiene items.
6. Through tools in medical institutions (dental offices, operating rooms, dressing rooms, donor sites, etc.).
7. Through non-sterile syringes (risk group - drug addicts).
8. Sexually transmitted exposure (any unprotected communication).
9. From mother to child (infection occurs when passing through the birth canal).
Infection is almost impossible (but permissible) with kisses, sneezing, breastfeeding, using the same dishes and shaking hands. Next, consider the symptoms and treatment of hepatitis B.
What are the signs of infection?
The main danger of this disease is that at first the symptoms are not expressed. Minor signs begin to appear only when the virus has already multiplied and is active in the body. The incubation asymptomatic period takes an average of 2-6 months. Alarming signs that may indicate a developing disease:
- Fatigue and fatigue.
- Loss of appetite, weight loss.
- Nausea.
- Discomfort in the liver (right hypochondrium).
- Darkening of urine (the color of brewed tea).
- Lightening feces.
- Yellowness of the sclera of the eyes and skin.
- Joint pain.
- With a biochemical analysis of blood, signs of liver dysfunction are obvious.
It should also be noted that in adults these symptoms appear brighter than in children. If these signs are found, it is necessary to take a blood test for hepatitis B antigen, which will confirm or deny the presence of the disease.
Hepatitis Carriage
One form of viral hepatitis B disease is carriage. In this case, it manifests itself depending on personal immunity and is asymptomatic. The course of this disease often does not go into a chronic form due to the vitality of the body, its strength and endurance. Most often, carriage flows into the chronic form of hepatitis B in 15-20 years.
10 years ago, carriage was not perceived as a disease of hepatitis B. Currently, many infectious disease doctors insist that this form of the disease is the beginning of chronic hepatitis B. There is no specific treatment for carriers of the virus, therefore, immunostimulating and general strengthening courses are necessary for prevention. However, you must know that the carrier is a danger to others due to its infectiousness.
Forms of ailment
The most severe form of viral hepatitis B is a lightning onset of the disease, when symptoms develop very quickly. Within a few hours, cerebral edema occurs, followed by coma and death. Cases of patient survival after such a disease are very rare.
Acute hepatitis B is also distinguished. In this case, the following variants of the disease are possible:
- subclinical (symptoms are moderate, jaundice is absent, minor changes in the biochemical analysis of blood);
- icteric (jaundice, intoxication, pronounced changes in biochemical analysis);
- protracted (a significant duration of the disease, occurring from 3 to 12 months, is most often manifested in the elderly);
- cholestatic (features of inflammation are moderate, signs of biliary damage are dominant).
The most frequently asked question is: “What are the causes, symptoms and treatment of hepatitis B?” The symptoms of the acute form of the disease at the initial stage can be compared with the manifestations of the common cold: general weakness, fatigue, nausea, sweating, sore throat, headaches, runny nose, fever, cough. Later, external signs of a viral disease appear (jaundice, dark urine, lightening feces, etc.).
One of the most common forms of the disease is a chronic form of hepatitis B. In this case, the incubation period lasts from a month to six months. This disease is insidious in that it proceeds asymptomatically at the initial stage. Only after serious changes in the liver does the onset of signs of hepatitis begin. There were cases when the virus was detected in the blood of a person completely by accident, and the patient did not suspect about his illness and did not experience any discomfort.
Hepatitis B: diagnosis
Most often, people are interested in information about which tests for hepatitis and HIV infection must be passed. Hepatitis B is diagnosed using the following tests:
1. Biochemical blood test (shows the condition of the liver, you can only indirectly make a diagnosis).
2. Blood test for the "Australian" HBSAg antigen. It should be noted that a negative result of this examination cannot exclude the carriage of the virus or an inactive form of hepatitis B.
3. Blood test for IgM antibodies (their presence confirms the acute form of the disease).
4. A blood test for IgG antibodies (their presence will allow us to talk about the chronic form of hepatitis B and the carriage of the virus).
If you suspect the presence of HIV infection, you must pass a special
blood test. ELISA can detect the virus only after 1.5-3 months after infection. PCR analysis confirms infection after 2-3 weeks after infection.
Chronic hepatitis: treatment
In the chronic form of hepatitis B, a course of antiviral drugs is prescribed by an infectious disease specialist-hepatologist:
- analogues of nucleazides contribute to a decrease in the reproduction activity of this virus in the blood;
- interferons reduce pathological changes in the liver.
In addition, regular maintenance therapy is recommended. For this, hepatoprotectors are prescribed, which contribute to the resistance of liver cells to the penetration of viruses; immunomodulating drugs that increase the body's overall resistance to infection.
It is also possible to carry out detoxification, when, thanks to special preparations, the blood is cleansed of various toxins. For general maintenance of the body, it is recommended to take vitamins in courses, as well as strictly follow a diet.
In case of serious liver dysfunction, surgical intervention is possible. In this case, a liver transplant is performed from a donor.
Treatment of an acute form of the disease
If hepatitis B is mild, no antiviral treatment is prescribed. Patients are shown:
- detoxification (taking large amounts of water to reduce symptoms and restore fluid levels in the body);
- strict diet (with a refusal from alcohol and from taking toxic drugs).
Cure
A full recovery is possible. With proper treatment, lifestyle and medical supervision, it occurs within a few years. In the event that you are sick with an acute form of hepatitis B, there is a chance that it will turn into chronic. Carriage, asymptomatic, can persist throughout life, without manifesting itself in serious complications or liver diseases.
If the necessary treatment is not done, hepatitis B can lead to serious diseases such as cirrhosis or liver cancer.
Prevention
If the question of hepatitis B - what is it, is more or less clear, then we will clarify how to avoid this disease. To reduce the likelihood of hepatitis B virus infection, the following recommendations must be observed:
- Timely vaccination against hepatitis B.
- Protected sex.
- Compliance with hygiene rules.
- The passage of preventive medical examinations.
Graft
Hepatitis B vaccination is carried out during the first days of a baby’s life. Often women ask themselves this question: “Why vaccinate a child so early?” The fact is that with hepatitis B infection in the first 12 months after birth, the baby becomes a carrier of the virus for the rest of its life. If we take into account the asymptomatic course of the disease, then we can seriously fear for the future health of the child. Untreated hepatitis B often causes complications such as cirrhosis or liver cancer.
This vaccination is given to all children, since it is sometimes impossible during the mother’s pregnancy to identify her carrier of hepatitis B. The fact is that the analysis, which is prescribed during the bearing of the fetus, confirms only a chronic or acute form of the disease.
In the Russian Federation, hepatitis B vaccines are given as 0-1-6. This means that vaccination takes place in three doses: at birth, at 1 month and at half a year. In the event that a woman in childbirth is a carrier of the virus, vaccination is carried out according to the scheme: 0-1-2-12. The vaccine is administered intramuscularly in the front of the thigh.
An adult also needs to get vaccinated against hepatitis B. This is due to the wide spread of this disease in Russia and around the world. Vaccination is carried out in three doses according to the scheme 0-1-6. It must be carried out on time without delay, otherwise the body will not develop effective immunity against this disease.
Contraindications to hepatitis B vaccination are as follows:
- Allergy to baker's yeast.
- Acute respiratory infections.
- Meningitis.
- Autoimmune diseases.
- Type 1 diabetes.
A little bit about hepatitis C
The likelihood of contracting hepatitis C and B virus occurs under the same circumstances. Symptoms are manifested only in the acute course of the disease and are manifested in the form of general fatigue, weakness, joint pain, and digestive disorders. Jaundice in hepatitis C develops very rarely. After acute hepatitis C, the patient may recover completely, as well as the transition of the disease to a chronic form or carriage.
Symptoms and treatment of hepatitis B and C are very similar. The probability of cure is possible in 60-80% of cases, provided timely treatment to a medical institution.
Vaccination against viral hepatitis C currently does not exist, therefore, to prevent infection, it is necessary to follow the recommendations of doctors.
Types of ailment
Viral hepatitis is a very insidious disease. Its danger lies in the asymptomatic course, while one of the vital organs, the liver, is destroyed. It is on his condition that hepatitis directly affects.
The types of this disease are as follows: viral hepatitis A, B, C, D, E, F (G). They have a different course, infection also occurs for various reasons. The only thing that unites them is the similarity of symptoms and the detrimental effect on the human liver. For diagnosis and treatment, you must contact a medical institution and take tests.
Output
With timely diagnosis, you can achieve a full recovery from a disease such as hepatitis. The types of this virus are different. Some require expensive and lengthy treatment, while others can be eliminated without special treatment.
Many people with hepatitis B do not receive the necessary treatment, since antiviral drugs are quite expensive. The minimum price of a course for one month is 10,000 rubles, and it is necessary to take medications for a year or more. If the cure does not occur, then after the break, the necessary drugs will be prescribed again.
Can chronic hepatitis be defeated? Treatment depends on timely contact with a medical institution. If you discover this disease in time, the symptoms will not complicate your life, and therapy will be faster, more effective and cheaper.