What Is Hepatitis B: Symptoms, Causes, Prevention & Treatment

Contagious diseases are great threats and they can not be easily treated if found in a mature stage. One of the main reasons for contagious diseases is disordered and unhygienic lifestyles. Hepatitis B is one such major contagious disease that is still very deadly if not diagnosed at the right time. Scroll through this article to know more about what is Hepatitis B, its treatment, and prevention.

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What Is Hepatitis B?

cases, this disease lasts for only 6 months and is called acute. However, for some people, it lasts more than 6 months and frequently occurs, called chronic Hepatitis B. Hepatitis B causes liver dysfunction, cirrhosis, and liver cancer.

For adults, the effects of Hepatitis are reversible with the right treatment, medicines, and lifestyle changes. However, for children, it may result in more severe consequences and a chance of long-lasting disease.

What Are the Symptoms of Hepatitis B?

One can have mild to severe symptoms within 1 to 4 months of getting infected by the Hepatitis B virus. These symptoms include the following:

Muscle and joint aches
Abdominal pain
Constipation
Appetite loss
Fatigue
Weakness
Diarrhoea
Loss of energy
Mild fever
Black or brown urine
Jaundice
Headaches
Hives

What Are the Causes of Hepatitis B?

The causes of Hepatitis B are discussed below:

Unprotected Sexual Contact: The Hepatitis B virus can enter your body through vaginal secretion, semen, saliva, etc., and make you sick. Thus, one should have protected sex to be safe from such contagious diseases.
Mother to Child: If a pregnant woman gets HBV, her baby will likely be infected. However, newborn babies can have the Hepatitis B vaccine to stay protected for the rest of their life. Further, a Hepatitis B diagnosis is important for every pregnant woman.
Needle Sharing: Using contaminated syringes and needles quickly spread Hepatitis B. This is very common for drug addicts who abuse different liquid medicines by injecting them into their bodies with contaminated syringes.
Accidental Infection via Infected Needle: Health workers who come into contact with infected human blood frequently can have Hepatitis B infection.

How Can Hepatitis B Be Spread?

Hepatitis B can be spread by the following means:

Getting treatment from medical practitioners who do not use sterile instruments
Drug abuse
Sharing items that contain body fluid, such as toothbrushes, razors, jewellery, nail clippers, etc.
Accidentally bitten by a Hepatitis B-infected person
Unprotected sex

However, Hepatitis B does not spread with:

Kissing on cheeks
Breastfeeding
Hugging, shaking hands
Sneezing and coughing
Eating food prepared by an infected person

What Are the Diagnosis and Tests for Hepatitis B?

The Hepatitis B diagnosis and tests are as follows:

Blood Tests: Blood tests are elementary to diagnose Hepatitis B. It tells whether one has acute or chronic Hepatitis. Further, blood tests also help to understand body condition and immunity so doctors can proceed accordingly.
Liver Biopsy: In this test, a thin tissue will be collected from your liver by a healthcare provider. Then pathologists will thoroughly check the tissue under a microscope to find the liver damage.
Liver USG: A liver ultrasound gives a proper understanding of the condition of the liver. To understand the liver condition, a physician will do elastography, a type of USG, to identify the amount of damage.

Hence, some screening processes are needed for healthy people to understand whether they are at risk. For example, if you have the following conditions, you should go for a Hepatitis B screening test:

Pregnancy
Have had intercourse without any protection
Indulged in sexual intercourse with many partners
Have HIV or Hepatitis C
Have a kidney dialysis
Take medicines that lower the immune system
Have abnormal liver enzyme level
Have adopted children from Hepatitis B infection-prone areas

What Are the Treatments for Hepatitis B?

There are 2 types of treatment available for both acute and chronic Hepatitis B. These are discussed below:

1. Treatment for Acute Hepatitis B

If it is an acute Hepatitis B, then the patient won’t need any strict medication. Instead, proper nutrition, rest, lifestyle changes, etc., will be enough to recover. These will boost the immunity system of the patients and help them to fight the disease naturally. However, some antiviral drugs and hospitalization will be prescribed in the severe stage to avoid complexities.

2. Treatment for Chronic Hepatitis B

As chronic Hepatitis B causes life-long complications, patients will need strong treatments. Hence, this treatment will depend on the condition of the liver damage, for example, the scarring of the liver, immunity level, etc. The popular treatment processes for chronic Hepatitis B are as follows:

Antiviral Medicines: Doctors will prescribe antiviral medicines to slow down the damaging process and defeat the virus in your liver. The medicines they will likely offer you are as follows:
- Lamivudine: Lamivudine is one of the most effective medicines for Hepatitis that comes in both tablet and liquid form. However, if someone takes it for a long time the virus may become unresponsive to this drug.
- Adefovir dipivoxil (Hepsera): This is an alternative drug for lamivudine and is available in tablet form. However, the tablet should be taken carefully as its overdose may cause kidney trouble.
- Entecavir (Baraclude): It is one of the front-line treatments and has a few side effects if taken daily.
- Pegylated Interferon (Pegasys): Physicians prescribe this once a week for 6 months and it comes in the form of shots. However, this drug has a side effect on your brain and makes you feel depressed. Further, it may also lower your white blood cell count and appetite.
- Interferon alfa: This medicine comes in the form of injection shots and is only for treating liver inflammation. It is generally an artificial substance that helps the body to fight back infection.

However, this medicine is for those who want to avoid long-term treatment and women who want to become pregnant after completing this medication. Further, the medicine has side effects like depression, nausea, breathing trouble, vomiting etc.

Apart from these, doctors may also prescribe Telbivudine, Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (Viread) and Tenofovir alafenamide (VEMLIDY®).

Liver Transplant: A liver transplant is the last option for fixing the damage due to Hepatitis B. If one gets severe and irreversible liver damage then a physician may suggest a liver transplant. In this surgery, a surgeon removes the damaged liver and places a healthy one in that place.

What Are the Preventions for Hepatitis B?

The preventive measures for Hepatitis B are as follows:

Getting Hepatitis B vaccination at the right time
Wearing gloves when coming in contact with infected blood and patients
Practising safe sex
Screening of donated blood
Avoid sharing toothbrushes, razors, earrings etc.
Covering open wounds
Avoid giving pre-chewing food to the babies
Using a new syringe every time
Ask for clear and sterile needles and tools when going for a piercing or tattoo

What Are the Complications of Hepatitis B?

Some long-term effects or complications of Hepatitis B are as follows:

Cirrhosis: Cirrhosis is a serious liver disease and it is a permanent scarring in the liver. Thus, it cannot be treated; however, patients can control symptoms with medicines.
Kidney Disease: People with Hepatitis B and cirrhosis are more likely to develop kidney diseases in the long run.
Liver Cancer: Liver cancer is the most dangerous consequence of Hepatitis B. So, if you have chronic Hepatitis B then you should go for an ultrasound to check the malignant condition of your liver.
Liver Failure: Liver failure is another common problem for Hepatitis B which may lead to death. However, it happens only in the severe stage.

Apart from these, one may also have blood vessel diseases and inflammation in blood vessels which will lead to several other severe consequences.

When to See a Doctor?

If you are aware of the fact that you have contact with the Hepatitis B virus by any means you need to visit a doctor within 24 hours. In addition, if you feel any symptoms of a Hepatitis-B attack prominently, you should visit a healthcare specialist.

Hope you have got a pretty clear idea of what is Hepatitis B, its diagnosis, treatment and prevention. So, if you are a little aware of your routine lifestyle, and perform hygienic practices you can avoid contamination and stay safe from Hepatitis B. However, if your body is showing serious symptoms, you should seek professional help immediately.

FAQs About Hepatitis B

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Can one get Hepatitis B from donated blood?

No, one cannot get Hepatitis B from donated blood as it gets checked before use. So, the chances of getting Hepatitis B through blood transfusion is really low.

What to do after understanding that you have contact with the Hepatitis B virus?

As soon as you understand that you have contact with the Hepatitis B virus, you can reach out to a healthcare expert and get a shot of immunoglobulin within the first 24 hours. Afterwards, you should also get the vaccination against the Hepatitis B virus.

How long can a patient with Hepatitis B live?

Even though a chronic condition hepatitis B can be managed with proper care. It does not affect the life length so patients with Hepatitis B live a long full life.