Hepatitis B is a viral infection of the liver. It is one of the five types of viral hepatitis (the other ones being hepatitis A, C, D, and E). This RNA virus is transmitted via blood and other bodily fluids. The most common way to get infected is by sharing needles and syringes while using IV drugs. Other forms of drug abuse, such as sniffing drugs, pose a risk too, as drops of blood containing the virus can remain on the equipment and cause an infection.
The virus can be spread in other ways too, like sharing razors and toothbrushes. Hepatitis B is also a sexually transmitted disease, so unsafe sex puts you at risk of an infection. An infected mother can pass the infection to her child during childbirth, especially in endemic areas. It should be noted that getting a tattoo, or a piercing, can be a way of getting this disease.
As with other liver diseases, hepatitis B can cause a number of symptoms. These symptoms include:
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Loss of appetite
- Weight loss
- Hives
- Abdominal pain
- Jaundice
- Light stool
- Dark urine
- Joint pain
- Fatigue
If you suspect that you have been in contact with the virus, you should get tested. Hepatitis B can be diagnosed with the help of blood tests. The presence of anti-hepatitis B antibodies in your blood shows that you have been exposed to the virus. PCR diagnostics are used to confirm the diagnose, by proving the presence of hepatitis B RNA in your organism. Hepatitis B can cause both an acute and a chronic form of the disease, and the form the disease will take largely depends on the age of the person infected. While older patients usually develop an acute form of the disease, infants and children under the age of five develop a chronic form in 95 percent of cases. The form of the disease, as well as the condition of the liver, is what determines which type of therapy will be used.
1. Immediate treatment for hepatitis B
If you are administered a vaccine, chances are your immune system will develop immunity against hepatitis B before the virus attacks the liver cells and infects you. What vaccines do is train our white blood cells to recognize the virus, and produce immunoglobulins (specific molecules) to fight the disease.
Which brings us to the other type of the emergency treatment for hepatitis B: you can get a dose of those immunoglobulins to help you fight the virus until the vaccine does its job. This type of therapy is most successful if administered within the first 48 hours after exposure, but good results can be achieved if the therapy is taken within the first week.
2. Treatment for the acute form of hepatitis B
Specific therapy for the acute form of hepatitis B often isn't needed, as the body is able to fight the infection on its own. But this disease can cause a lot of discomfort in the patient, so some therapy is often administered:
- Since one of the symptoms of hepatitis B is abdominal pain, painkillers should be taken to ease the discomfort.
- Patients suffering from hepatitis often lose their appetite, and therefore lack the nutrients needed for their body to function properly. Vitamins, minerals, and proteins can be administered via IV fluids to help reduce the risk of nutritional deficiencies.
- If the patient is suffering from nausea, appropriate therapy should be administered to keep it under control.
- Itchy skin can be a problem in some patients, so medications for that condition should be taken if needed.
3. Treatment for the chronic form of hepatitis B
In cases when hepatitis B takes a chronic form, damage to the liver can be severe, and even life-threatening, so other, more specific, medications enter the equation:
- Interferons are drugs that stimulate your own immune system to fight the virus. The interferon used to fight hepatitis B (as well as hepatitis C and hepatitis E) is peginterferon alfa-2a, sold under the name Pegasys. This medication is administered through injection, under the skin.
- Antiviral medications inhibit the development of the virus. Six antiviral drugs have been registered in the United States: adefovir, lamivudine, tenofovir alafenamide, tenofivir disoproxil, entecavir and telbivudine. Some of these drugs are effective against other viral diseases, such as HIV/AIDS or the herpes virus. These drugs are taken as tablets, powder, or a solution.
4. End stage hepatitis B therapy
Hepatitis B can cause severe deterioration of liver tissue. This scarring of the organ eventually leads to cirrhosis, or liver failure. In this situation, the only option possible is liver transplantation.