Hepatitis B is a serious liver infection caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV). For some people, hepatitis B infection becomes chronic, meaning it lasts more than six months. Having chronic hepatitis B increases your risk of developing liver failure, liver cancer or cirrhosis — a condition that causes permanent scarring of the liver.
Signs and symptoms of hepatitis B, ranging from mild to severe, usually appear about one to four months after you've been infected. Signs and symptoms of hepatitis B may include:
• Abdominal pain
• Dark urine
• Fever
• Joint pain
• Loss of appetite
• Nausea and vomiting
• Weakness and fatigue
• Yellowing of your skin and the whites of your eyes (jaundice)
Include:
• Blood tests can determine if you have the virus in your system and whether it's acute or chronic.
• Screening healthy people for hepatitis B
. Talk to doctor about screening for hepatitis B infection if you:
• Live with someone who has hepatitis B
• Have had sex with someone who has hepatitis B
• Have a liver enzyme test with unexplained abnormal results
• Have HIV or hepatitis C
• Are an immigrant from, have parents from or have adopted children from places where hepatitis B is common, including Asia, the Pacific Islands, Africa and Eastern Europe
• Inject illegal drugs
• Are an inmate
• Are a man who has sex with men
• Receive kidney dialysis
• Take medications that suppress the immune system, such as anti-rejection medications used after an organ transplant
• Are pregnant
Include:
• Hepatitis B Vaccine
• Treatment to prevent hepatitis B infection after exposure
• Treatment for acute hepatitis B infection: When doctor determines your hepatitis B infection is acute — meaning it is short-lived and will go away on its own — you may not need treatment. Instead, your doctor might recommend rest and adequate nutrition and fluids while your body fights the infection.
• Treatment for chronic hepatitis B infection
If you've been diagnosed with chronic hepatitis B infection, you may have treatment to reduce the risk of liver disease and prevent you from passing the infection to others.
Treatments include:
• Antiviral medications.
• Interferon alfa-2b (Intron A).
• Liver transplant.
Consult at Aadil Hospital for medical treatment and vaccination.